Immediate Needs
After an attack it is natural for a person to be confused,
frightened and angry. Emotions will run high and thinking will be
at best confused. For your own sake, try to remain as calm as
possible so as to think more clearly. Naturally you should try to
get to a safe place and get help as soon as possible.
Having insured your own safety, you should immediately
contact Public Safety, a friend or loved one, and call the police
or a rape crisis service.Although you may feel like burning or destroying your clothing
and washing yourself, you must remember that rape is a criminal
attack and changing your physical condition may hurt the state's
case for prosecution. This means not changing, washing, or
destroying any clothing or washing any part of the body, not
douching and not even combing your hair.
You may feel numb as to the goings on about you, but it is
important to receive medical aid promptly. Emergency rooms and
emergency medical personnel have been trained to secure evidence in
the proper fashion. Not only can internal and external injuries be
treated, but measures can be taken to combat possibilities of
venereal disease and pregnancy.
If possible, the victim should try to write down all the
recalled details about the incident. The following facts are often
helpful for police investigations:
Who, What, When, Where and How
- What the rapist or assailant looked like and any vehicles
used
- What kind of force or coercion was used
Any objects touched, taken or left by the rapist or assailant - If the rapist of assailant said anything, try to remember the
words, the grammar, any accents or speech defects
- If there were possible witnesses, who and where might they
be
It is important that you seek emotional support and professional
counseling as well as medical attention. As in any crisis, the
stress that the victim has endured will exhaust the ability to
cope, and the aftereffects of this violation often develop later on
in what has been termed a rape trauma syndrome. This syndrome
includes a variety of debilitating difficulties commonly
experienced by victims, which may not be evident until a point much
later than the actual crime. Dealing with the battered victim's
emotions is as important as any medical attention, which the victim
may require, and the sooner the victim gets help, the better that
individual will be able to cope and survive.