After Sexual Assault
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After Sexual Assault A Recovery Guide for Survivors moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence SAFE HORIZON 24-Hour Hotline: 212 227 3000 24-Hour Hotline: 212 227 3000 www.safehorizon.org www.safehorizon.org How to Contact Safe Horizon SAFE HORIZON is the nation’s leading non-profit victim assistance organization. Safe Horizon provides services to crime victims throughout New York’s five boroughs. Our programs in community offices, shelters, courts, and police SAFE HORIZON hopes this guide will help aid the recovery precincts help more than 250,000 New Yorkers every year. of anyone whose life has been impacted by a sexual assault. Rape, Sexual Assault, and Incest Hotline 212 227 3000 (24 hours a day) Domestic Violence Hotline 1 800 621 HOPE (24 hours a day) Brooklyn Community Program 718 834 6688 Manhattan-Bronx Community Program 212 316 2100 Queens Community Program 718 899 1233 Staten Island Community Program 718 720 2591 Counseling Center 347 328 8110 The SAFE HORIZON Community Program and the printing of this brochure is supported with funds from the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Office of Victim Services, the Sexual Assault Services Program, and the New York City Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator. 19 Considering Your Safety Many people who experience sexual assault have concerns about their It can be challenging to figure out what you want to do to be safer, and safety and the safety of people that they care about. In thinking about you may want to talk to someone about it, or find out more about what your safety, it can help to think about the things you may have tried in options might work for you. When faced with choices about your safety, the past or may be doing now to keep yourself and your loved ones it may feel like you have to choose between things that are important to safe. What worked and what didn’t work is a good place to start as you you. Some of the options may mean letting go of other things you need. think about other things you might try. These are hard choices to make. The choices that make sense for you may not be ones that others understand. People in your life who care If you were sexually assaulted by an intimate partner or someone in about you may not agree with your decisions. They may tell you that you your family, you may be concerned about other things that are happening are doing the wrong thing, or get upset if you change your mind about in that relationship. For example, this person might also be saying hurtful what to do. It can be hard to cope with the ways other people react to things to you, hurting you in other ways, or making threats. If you are your choices. It may feel like you aren’t getting the support you need. being hurt or threatened, or are scared of someone close to you, there If you want to sit down with someone who can talk through the choices are options out there for you. You can call Safe Horizon’s Domestic with you and support you to figure out what might work for you, you Violence Hotline at 1-800-621-HOPE (4673) to find out more about can call one of the Community Programs in the back of this booklet. these options. 8 9 Options to Consider Going to the hospital All of these responses have been reported by many survivors of sexual One option you might choose is to go to a hospital emergency room to assault. If you are having these kinds of reactions, you are not alone, and get checked out. If you have been injured, your injuries will be treated help is available. at the hospital. Post-traumatic stress disorder Some people choose this option because they are worried about pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). At the hospital, you The effects of sexual assault can sometimes stay with you over time, may be offered pregnancy prevention medication and HIV and STI or return after some time has passed. These responses can intrude into prevention medication. One thing to know is that the sooner you go, your daily life and make it difficult to work, maintain relationships, or the more likely it would be that you can get that medicine, and that the do every-day tasks. When these responses continue happening over medicine would be effective. a period of time they can be a sign of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can occur when people experience situations where they In addition, going to the hospital is a way that you can have evidence feel helpless or terrified. A therapist can help you sort out whether gathered in case you want to report what happened to the police. You you have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and talk with you about can decide whether to report to the police before you go to the hospital, treatment options (see page 15 for more information). when you get there, or afterwards. It is your choice.1 Physical evidence can be preserved in case you decide to report it later. 1 If you are under the age of 18 and you were sexually assaulted by a caregiver, or your caregiver is not protecting you from harm, child abuse reporting laws apply. Also, in cases where the sexual assault involved the use of certain weapons, the hospital may need to contact law enforcement 10 7 If you want evidence collected, it is likely to be more complete if you go to the hospital as soon as possible, and try to go before washing, You may feel alone or isolated. You might lose trust in people close to brushing your teeth, or taking a shower. If you have already showered you. You might have difficulties in building new relationships, or or washed, you can still go to the hospital and have evidence gathered. difficulties in your current relationships. You may avoid things, people, or places that feel connected to what happened. You may try to keep If you decide to go to the hospital, you can call 311 or our Rape, Sexual what happened out of your mind completely. It might change how you Assault, and Incest Hotline at 212-227-3000. You can also ask the police see the world, or affect your relationship with spirituality or religion. where the closest SAFE Center is. SAFE stands for “Sexual Assault Forensic Exam”. A SAFE Center is a place where the staff is specially You might jump at noises, or jump when someone surprises or touches trained to provide sensitive care to victims of sexual assault. If you you. You might experience panic or have trouble breathing. You might prefer, you could go to the closest hospital. have trouble concentrating, or feel distracted and out-of-sorts. You might feel tired all the time. You may have suicidal thoughts. You may If you decide to go to the hospital after being sexually assaulted and feel disconnected from yourself, or your body. Sometimes it can feel you don’t have health insurance, you do not have to pay for any costs like you are floating above yourself or apart from yourself, or like you related to the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam. The New York State Office aren’t real. of Victim Services can cover the cost of your medical care. They can explain more about this Crime Victims compensation at the hospital, It might feel like you can’t stop thinking about what happened. It might on the Rape, Sexual Assault, and Incest Hotline, or at a Safe Horizon pop up even when you are thinking about something else and don’t Community Program. want to think about it. You may have memories that come up, or feel like you are reliving it as if it were happening right now. You might have Completing a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam can be a difficult experience. nightmares about it, which may keep happening again and again. The process can take several hours. It can be hard to talk about what has happened and the exam may feel uncomfortable and intrusive. 6 11 You have the right to stop or refuse any medical procedure you don’t want to have. And you don’t have to go alone. Having someone with you during the exam may help you feel supported during the procedures. If you want, hospital staff or a Safe Horizon Community Program may be able to arrange for an advocate to accompany you. Your Response to Sexual Assault Your response could include many different physical and emotional If you decide to seek medical attention, you can ask the medical reactions, including some that may not seem to result directly from professional to explain the process step by step, so that you know what sexual assault. You may experience changes in how you sleep or eat. to expect. You might experience pain, injury or muscle tension. You might feel Legal options and rights shaky, or start trembling or crying, or be unable to cry. You might experience changes in your body where you were assaulted, or feel You may wonder whether or not to report to the police. Or the police differently about sex or about your body in general. may be involved already. You might feel a range of emotions, including anger, embarrassment, Sexual assault is a crime. Working with the police and courts can be a grief, guilt, fear, or hopelessness.