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Sexual Assault What To Do With Current And/or Future Abuse

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Nicolette

Supporter Admin
In light of Jadebear's unfortunate experience today I thought we should have a thread with helpful points or thoughts to use in the event if abuse is still occurring or does occur in the future as a reference when our thoughts and emotions are all over the place.

My initial thoughts are:

  • Make sure you are now safe - whether you stay where you are or leave
  • Call police, crisis line or trusted family and friends - or all of them!
  • See if someone can stay and watch over you - especially if what has happened has not 'hit' you yet
  • Go to a hospital/doctor if need be
  • DO NOT THINK IT IS YOUR FAULT
  • Seek help - whatever works for you
  • Talk about it; do not dismiss it or shove your feelings back down
  • Reach out to those who care for you
Please join in and post anything you consider valuable to contribute.
 
I would stress the part about talking about it. The longer you hold it back, the more harm it does. And most of you know what that means, as most of you have PTSD.

Nicolette, you had a very good idea with this thread. I'll think to see if there's more points to it.
 
The following is something which I wrote for the forum, but as of yet, I hadn't got round to 'Publishing'.
It re-iterates some of the above points, but rather than editing it. I will post it in its entirety.

What To Do If You Have Been Raped, Assaulted Or Sexually Assaulted/Abused

If you have been raped, assaulted, or sexually assaulted, or you think you may have been, then here are my suggestions.

Get yourself to a safe place if possible
Call someone- a friend, a relative, or the police.
Try to keep warm
Sexual violence is a crime, no matter where it happened or in what circumstances. You don’t have to report the assault to police if you don’t want to.
If you decide to report the assault to the police try not to wash, shower, bathe or douche, try not to eat or drink anything, don’t brush your teeth or smoke a cigarette. Don’t change your clothes, but if you have to, do not wash your clothes, keep them to one side. Try not to go to the loo, and try not to clean up or tidy up the area where the assault took place.
If you have already done some or all of these things, don’t worry; you can still report the crime to the police.
If you decide not to report the assault/rape, that is ok too. Sometimes you just have to do what is right for you at the time. Only you can decide whether to report it to the police. This is your decision, the consequences of which will last for a long time.
Reasons why you might report sexual assault to the police:
-To keep the same person from assaulting you again or others
-To provide psychological closure for you
-To be certain about your own health and have an examination to rule out medical problems related to the assault

Remember – this is not your fault, you didn’t ask to be assaulted or raped.
Even if you do not want to report the assault, you may need medical attention for any injuries sustained or emergency contraception and checks for sexually transmitted infections. This can be done at your Doctor’s or local Emergency Department. Hospitals and GPs must see you on a confidential basis and not report the assault to the police unless you request this.
Feelings of shame, guilt, fear and shock are all normal after an assault of any kind, please try to get help from a trusted professional.
 
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