Sexual Assault / Rape: Steps to take after a sexual assault

Updated: August 20, 2021

What can I do if I have been sexually assaulted recently?

Many people in society do not understand the extent of trauma endured by rape and sexual assault victims. If you do not have visible physical injuries from the assault, friends and family may think you are okay. However, there may be physical and psychological injuries that you (and others) can’t see.

These are some suggestions you may want to consider to get the practical and emotional support you may need. Depending on what you think is best in your situation, you may do any or all of the following:

Get to a safe place (for example, the nearest hospital, police precinct, or someone’s home).
You can call 911 or go to your local police precinct to report the assault and to ask for a criminal investigation to begin. The police should investigate and may arrest the offender. (If the offender is charged with a crime, you may be issued a criminal court order of protection automatically.)
You may be able to file for a civil protection order and receive an immediate, ex parte temporary protection order to keep the offender away from you. There are specific requirements that must be met to file for a civil protection order – you can read about the orders available in your state on our Restraining Orders page.
Call the nearest rape crisis program for crisis intervention, hospital accompaniment, counseling, courtroom advocacy, support groups for you or your partner, information and referral. There are also 24-hour hotlines that you can call at any time for support and to discuss your options for reporting the assault.
Go to your local hospital emergency room for immediate medical care to check for injury, prevent sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, get counseling and collect evidence. 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, you might want to avoid 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. You will find sexual assault organizations listed here on the RAINN website. You can also find advocates at local domestic violence and sexual assault programs on our Advocates and Shelters page.
Tell someone you trust who can support and assist you.¹
If you are a student, you may be able to file a complaint with your school’s administration and/or receive counseling services. See our What if I am sexually assaulted or raped at school? question for more information.

¹ See NYC Alliance against Sexual Assault

What can I do if I was sexually assaulted in the past?

Even if the sexual assault happened in the past, you may still be able to report the abuse to law enforcement if you want the offender to be held criminally liable. Although an investigation that takes place months or years after the assault may have its legal challenges, police still can investigate past sexual assault if the statute of limitations on the criminal act has not already expired. A statute of limitations is a legal time period for which a person can be prosecuted for committing a crime – each state has its own statute of limitations for each crime. After the statute of limitations has run (expired), a prosecution is no longer possible, though you may still be able to take civil action. However, depending on how long ago the assault happened and the age of the victim at the time of the assault, the statute of limitations for sexual assault may last many years. RAINN has a link to each state’s statute of limitations on their website if you want to check out the statute of limitations for the state in which the sexual assault took place. If you are interested in pressing charges for a sexual assault that occurred in the past, you can read more on the RAINN website and you may want to contact a lawyer from our Finding a Lawyer page for legal advice.

You can also seek support and counseling for yourself for the trauma that the assault has caused. Sexual assault, no matter when it happens can change your life. It can change your view of yourself and others and influence your intimate relationships. You may experience changes in your eating and sleeping patterns. You may have nightmares or flashbacks about the assault or rape. Certain sounds, smells, or other sensory experiences may trigger these feelings and fears. You may be afraid of being alone, or you may fear being in crowds. You also may experience ongoing fear that the offender may have infected you with a sexually transmitted disease that may not have been detected initially after the assault.

Whether you were abused by someone you knew or were assaulted by a stranger, you may have a difficult time dealing with the assault for many years afterwards. As time passes, you may have a variety of feelings, thoughts, and reactions to what has happened that may not have occurred right after the assault –many rape and sexual assault victims do. Whatever the circumstances, whatever your reactions or fears may be, support and help are available for you. Local rape crisis or sexual assault program staff may be able to assist you, regardless of whether you decide to report the assault to the police.¹

If you feel like you need support, you may consider:

talking to someone who you trust;
calling a local rape crisis program or a national hotline;
finding programs and resources in your community. You can search for your state on our Advocates and Shelters page and you can also visit RAINN’s state resources page.

¹ See NYC Alliance against Sexual Assault

Who can I call for help?

There are several places you may call for help if you have been sexually assaulted or fear you might be sexually assaulted:

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) - this hotline is free, confidential, and open 24 hours/day.
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3244 (TTY) for support, shelter, safety planning, or referrals to other services - it is free, confidential, and open 24 hours/day.
If you know a child who you worry is being sexually abused, you may want to call Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline for advice and information. This is not the same as reporting the abuse - the purpose is to give you information on options. 1-800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453) - it is free, confidential, and open 24 hours/day.
Most states have local rape crisis centers that can assist you with things like counseling and navigating the criminal justice system. Visit RAINN’s state resources page for a list of centers.
For sexual assault related to the military, you can find resources from the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program.
For help with legal information, contact Email Hotline at WomensLaw.org.

Note: Depending on to whom you report the abuse, if it involves a minor, there may be mandatory reporting requirements for minor victims. Many states require that health professionals, school officials, and counselors report any accusations of sexual assault, rape, or unlawful sexual contact to child protective services and/or to the police if the victim is a minor. Mandatory reporting requirements vary by state. You can look up your states specific laws on mandatory reporting requirements for minors in RAINN’s State Law Database. If you are a minor and you want to talk to an adult about sexual assault or abuse without having it be reported to the police or child protective services, it may be a good idea to ask the adult if s/he is a mandatory reporter before you talk to him/her. If s/he says “yes,” you can ask if s/he can refer you to someone who you can talk to confidentially (who is not a mandatory reporter). Alternatively, you may want to call a national or state hotline anonymously without giving any identifying information about yourself.

If you have any specific questions about mandatory reporting requirements in your state, you can email our hotline or contact RAINN.

I am not ready to report the assault now but I may be ready in the future. What do I need to know?

If you were sexually assaulted recently, you may feel like you are not ready to pursue any of the options for filing a complaint that are explained in What are my options for filing a complaint?. If, however, you think that at some point in the future you may change your mind, there are steps you can take now to help with any future investigation or lawsuit. Here are some actions that you might want to consider taking to help establish a timeline of when the sexual assault took place.

Go to the hospital immediately after the assault to get a sexual assault forensic exam (a “rape kit”). Getting a rape kit done does not require you to press criminal charges (although some state laws may require health professionals to report incidents of violent crime to the police or health department). Organizations like RAINN describe the process of completing a sexual assault forensic exam. After completing a rape kit at the hospital or doctor’s office, make sure you get information from the sexual assault forensic examiner, nurse or doctor about how to follow up to get information about the status of your rape kit. Ask how you can find your rape kit if you change your mind and decide to press criminal charges. Ask them how long you have before your rape kit will be destroyed – some states keep rape kits for only six months, for example. If you would like the rape kit to be kept for longer than the average period, you can ask how to file an extension for your rape kit to be preserved.
Consider filing a “blind report” with the police. In some states, you can file a “blind report” with the police department, which is an anonymous complaint in which the police record your account of what happened but do not pursue an investigation. If you ever change your mind and decide you do want to press criminal charges, the “blind report” can be made into an official report and be investigated (assuming that the statute of limitations has not expired). The benefit of a blind report is that you will have immediately reported everything while it is fresh in your memory and there is less risk of leaving out important details than if you were to report it after significant time has passed since the sexual assault. RAINN has a list of tips and advice for reporting and communicating with law enforcement. Note: If you are a university student, you may be able to report the sexual assault to your school’s Title IX coordinator or the administration but ask for no investigation or action to be taken. You should check with your university to find out what your options are.
Write out a detailed account of what happened and keep it in a safe place. If your state does not allow the filing of a “blind report” with the police, or if you choose not to get the police involved, write out a detailed account of what you remember happening and save it somewhere safe. Include as much information as you can, including any witnesses who may have been present before, during, or after the assault, the time that the assault took place, what the perpetrator looked like, wore, said, etc., what specific acts the perpetrator did or forced you to do, and anything else you think might be important.
Save anything associated with the assault without washing it. Save any clothes that you were wearing, any clothing that the perpetrator may have left at the scene, any towels or sheets that were used during the assault, any cans, bottles or cups that the perpetrator discarded, any discarded condoms, or anything else you think could be used as evidence in a future case. You can put each item in a sealed paper bag and keep them in a closet. Remember not to wash anything that may have bodily fluids or other DNA evidence on it.¹

¹ Some of this information was adopted from the RAINN website.

What are my options for filing a complaint?

The path to seeking “justice” after a sexual assault can look different for every victim. Some people may choose to pursue criminal charges, file civil lawsuits for money damages, file for civil protection orders, and/or file complaints with their universities or other educational institution. Other victims may choose not to pursue any of these options. In addition to finding a sense of justice, victims of sexual assault may also want information about caring for their own emotional well-being and working towards recovering from the trauma they have experienced. Any of the below options can be pursued independently or possibly at the same time.

Criminal charges:

Some victims of sexual violence may wish to have the prosecutor press criminal charges against the person(s) who victimized them. The criminal process usually begins with a victim reporting the incident to police and the prosecutor will determine whether or not there is enough evidence to start a criminal case. Each state defines crimes of sexual violence, including rape and sexual assault, differently and has different statutes of limitation. You can look up the crimes in your specific state on our Crimes page.

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) provides information on how to report to law enforcement and what to expect from a criminal trial, which may help you decide whether or not to file a report. If you need legal assistance, you can find legal resources for your specific state on our Finding a Lawyer page. Additionally, the organization Know Your IX has a list of free and pro bono legal resources that may be able to help you.

Civil lawsuit for money damages:

Some survivors of sexual violence may choose to file a civil lawsuit for money damages against perpetrator(s) of sexual violence. Unlike a criminal investigation, a civil suit is a private legal action that you initiate. Civil actions generally require a lower standard of proof (preponderance of the evidence) than criminal cases (beyond a reasonable doubt). You may wish to initiate a civil suit to seek compensatory damages (money for the damages or injuries you sustained as a result of the sexual assault) and possibly punitive damages, which are aimed at punishing the defendant.

Civil suits may take years to resolve, and there is no guarantee you will win. However, some survivors may prefer civil suits over a criminal trial. The Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs has compiled a survivor’s guide to filing a civil lawsuit, which provides more information on civil lawsuits and their pros and cons. If you need legal assistance in filing a civil lawsuit, you can look for your state bar association’s legal referral service for private attorneys on our Finding a Lawyer page. Additionally, the organization Know Your IX has a list of free and pro bono legal resources that may be able to help you.

Civil protection order:

Sexual assault victims may choose to file for a civil protection order as one measure of protection to try to keep the perpetrator away and to prohibit any contact. Usually, an applicant for a protection order can get an immediate, temporary order issued (ex parte) and then there will be a hearing at which the perpetrator has the right to be present to defend against the order being issued. To read about the protection order options in your state, go to our Restraining Orders page.

Complaints at educational institutions:

Numerous federal laws require that educational institutions, including local school districts, post-secondary institutions, charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries and museums take steps to both prevent sexual violence as well as address complaints of sexual violence. If you are enrolled in school and you report an allegation of sexual assault to the school, federal law requires that your school have stated policies and procedures of handling allegations of sexual violence, including a process to investigate and discipline reported perpetrators of sexual violence. An educational institution that you are attending and to which you have reported a sexual assault is also required to provide you with emotional, medical, and academic assistance and accommodations in the wake of a reported instance of sexual violence.

Survivors may choose to file complaints with their educational institutions when they want a relatively fast resolution (compared to a civil or criminal case) or if they do not want to go through the criminal justice system. Educational institutions are required to resolve complaints of sexual violence within months and are required to provide intermediary measures like no-contact orders between the victim and the perpetrator. However, the level of skill and compassion with which the institution handles the allegation of sexual assault, the training provided to those in charge, and the seriousness of the punishment for the perpetrator can vary greatly between schools. The organization Know Your IX may be a helpful resource to help you decide whether to file a complaint with your educational institution. You may also consider talking to an advocate, lawyer or counselor to help you decide whether to file a complaint with your school.

For more information on Title IX and sexual assaults on campus, see our What if I am sexually assaulted at school? page.

What if I am sexually assaulted at school?

Numerous federal laws require that educational institutions, including local school districts, post-secondary institutions, charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries and museums take steps to both prevent sexual violence as well as address complaints of sexual violence. The organization Know Your IX has information that may be able to help you learn the laws that protect you at educational institutions and the resources available to you. Additionally, the organization Stop Sexual Assault in Schools provides resources that address sexual assault and sexual harassment in schools. You can also find legal resources on our Finding a Lawyer page.

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