Rape: What to do if this happens to you
Most victims feel that somehow they are to blame for what happened to them.
Rape is a particularly horrific and invasive crime and many victims do not know what to do when it happens.
People don’t report rape for many reasons. These include humiliation and shame, fear of reprisals, not being sure of whether they will be believed and not wanting to expose themselves again.
It is important for victims of rape to know what they should do to take care of themselves. The first is to get medical support. A victim can visit their local clinic or a hospital.
Most victims feel that somehow they are to blame for what happened to them and to judge someone at this time is devastating (Read: Rapist apologises to victim’s friends). No one is ever to blame when someone rapes them against their will.
Stages after a rape:
- Make sure you are safe, and tell a person you trust, that you need help.
- Do not wash your body or your clothes. Put the clothes you were wearing in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper. Do not use a plastic bag as it will destroy evidence. If you decide to report the rape, you need to have evidence available so it will be better to keep wearing the clothes until you have been examined. You do not have to open a case but you may change your mind later so it could be valuable (Read: Mother leads SAPS to daughter’s rapist).
- Take a change of clothing with you as your clothes will not be returned to you if you open a case.
- Decide whether you want to ask for help from the police or go directly to a clinic or doctor. Take someone with you for support.
- Visit a clinic or your own doctor for HIV anti-retrovirals and the morning after pregnancy pills, together with antibiotics for STD’s.
- Going through the medical examination is traumatsing but it is important if you want to open a case.
- Rape is a trauma and so many of those who have been raped are suffering from shock and can often not focus on what is happening to them because of the distress and pain. What they need is love and care and the acceptance of themselves.
Counselling is available from LifeLine Johannesburg and other LifeLine Centres.
They assist a client in deciding what to do when they have been raped and how to deal with it.
Call:
- LifeLine in Johannesburg – 011 728 1347.
- Alexandra – 011 443 3555.
- Soweto – 011 988 0155.
- LifeLine National – 0861322322
- Information from LifeLine.
