If you need help right now
Rape and sexual assault are horrific, terrible, and traumatic events. Many survivors feel a wide range of emotions and are often left in shock and thus unable to act immediately. That is completely valid.
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P4C wants to help you in whatever way we can. You are so strong.
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None of this not your fault and you are not responsible for any of the things that are happening to you or what you are feeling. You can prepare yourself for bad situations, but you, yourself, are not responsible for them happening.
If you have been raped or sexually assault recently please try to:
Get somewhere safe
Is this a friend's house? A family member's? Your own? Just out of the place of incident and surrounding area?
Talk to someone you trust (see below for more)
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And please do not blame yourself. What happened is not your fault, and it never will be.
Who can you talk to?
If you are in danger and/or in need of immediate medical care, please call 911.
However, if you feel uncomfortable doing so or are not in danger and/or in need of immediate care, you should call hotlines or any trusted people (friends, family, etc. We do recommend getting a trusted adult involved if you are a minor).
If you're considering reporting
This can be hard to think about, but doing these things will help to preserve evidence.
Try to avoid:
showering
brushing your teeth
eating or drinking
changing or washing your clothes, or if you do change, place all the clothes you were wearing during the incident into a plastic bag
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You might have already done some of these things, these can be our first instincts, but don't worry, there may still be evidence to collect within the "forensic window" (up to seven days).
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Whether or not you report is completely up to you. To learn more about what reporting would mean and how to do it, you can call hotlines or check out our page on reporting.