What to do if you are assaulted

Get support from people you trust.
If you have been sexually assaulted, you have been through a frightening and traumatic experience. You do not have to carry the trauma alone. The stressful feelings that result from a sexual assault do not have to last forever. Victims can and do recover. But the emotional trauma of rape does not "just go away." Talking about the assault with people who are supportive and understanding begins the process of recovery. Talk with a friend, a family member, a friend’s parent, a counselor or someone else you feel you can trust.

Talk with a counselor.
It can be especially helpful to talk with a trained counselor at a rape crisis center. These counselors understand that rape is never the victim’s fault. They are experienced in helping sexual assault victims. They can help you find ways to cope with the physical and emotional effects of the assault.

Call a hotline.
You should be able to find a trained counselor at a hotline or a rape crisis center. Look in the local yellow pages under "rape" or "women’s services," or call Directory Assistance and ask the telephone operator for the rape hotline in your area. Most rape crisis centers offer FREE services for sexual assault victims. Another way to find help is to call RAINN, a national victim assistance organization, at 1-800-656-HOPE. RAINN will connect you to a rape crisis center in your area.

You can remain anonymous.
If you want to talk with a counselor without giving your name, call a hotline or a rape crisis center. A call to a hotline is anonymous as long as you do not tell the counselor or advocate your name or your telephone number. "Anonymous" literally means "without a name."

If I tell a teacher, doctor, or counselor that I have been raped, will they call the police?
… If you are under 18 years of age and you tell a doctor, nurse, school counselor, teacher, or other professional that you have been raped or sexually assaulted, that person is generally required by law to notify the police or child protective services agency in your community.

If you don’t want the police to know about your assault, or if you aren’t sure about what will happen if the crime is reported, you can call your local hotline or rape crisis center and talk with a counselor about your concerns without giving your name. The counselor should be able to explain what will happen if the police are contacted and help you think through this decision. Counselors and advocates can also arrange to be with you when you talk with the police.

If I report the crime to the police, will they tell my parents?

Depending on the type of assault you experienced, your age and other factors, the police are sometimes able to take a report from you without telling your parents. In other situations, the police or child protective services may need to inform your parents.

How will my parents react?

No one can predict exactly how your parents will react. It may help for you to think about how they have responded to other problems you have shared with them in the past.

It’s very common for teenagers who have been sexually assaulted to be unsure about whether or not they want to tell their parents about the assault. You may want to spare your parents emotional pain. You may feel ashamed and embarrassed. You may be afraid that you will be punished or "grounded" by your parents. Some teenagers have been raped in situations in which they were doing something that their parents had forbidden, such as drinking, going to a party without parental permission or hanging out somewhere against their parents’ wishes. Some may have been physically abused by their parents in the past and are afraid of being hurt again. Some are worried about being blamed by their parents for the sexual assault.

Source: © Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.