Marital / Partner Rape

The following are some suggestions of how to get the practical and emotional support you need:

• Get to a safe place (for example, the nearest hospital, police precinct, or someone’s home).

• You can call 911 for immediate police protection and assistance. You can also call one of a number of hotlines to discuss your options for reporting the assault. You can find national hotlines on our National Organizations - Rape/Sexual Assault page.

• Go to your local hospital emergency room for immediate medical care to check for injury, prevent sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, get counseling and so that evidence of the rape can be collected for possible future prosecution. Evidence collection does not require you to place a report with the police or press charges; it just preserves these options for the future. For the purposes of evidence collection, it is best to avoid urinating, showering, combing your hair or changing your clothes before going to the hospital. Many states have a crime victim compensation program that can assist you with ongoing medical and counseling expenses and other expenses related to the assault. Your local rape crisis program can provide more information about this process and your rights as a crime victim - for a list of local programs, go to the RAINN website.

• Tell someone you trust who can support and assist you.

• Call the nearest rape crisis program for crisis intervention, hospital accompaniment, counseling, courtroom advocacy, support groups, information and referral.¹ You can find these organizations that support sexual assault victims on our National Organizations - Rape/Sexual Assault page.

¹ This information was adapted from the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault website.