If you are at home or in the home of someone else – has the attacker gone? If not, can you make yourself safe, contact a friend or family member or call the police?
If you are in any danger or seriously injured call 999 immediately.
If possible, try and find somewhere you feel safe.
Do you have any injuries?
If you have any physical injuries after an assault you should seek medical help.
If this is more than a very minor injury, or if you were unconscious for even a short time, you should go to Accident and Emergency. If you can, it may be helpful to bring a friend or family member with you.
It is up to you how much information you provide, but the hospital staff will be able to offer you better advice if they are aware of the circumstances.
The NHS Sexual Assault Response Co-ordination Service (SARCS) is a 24 hour, 7 day a week service which offers practical, health care and emotional support for people who have been sexually assaulted or raped. It is a self referral system, so you can contact them directly without having to speak to any other professionals and you do not have to make a police report in order to access the service or receive support.
You can call them on 0800 148 88 88 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
The SARCS website also offers further information and about sexual assault and rape and loca
They have specialist medical and forensic services for anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted within the SARC (sexual assault referral centre) located there.
They will be able to advise you on emergency contraception. Emergency contraception should be taken within 72 hours of the attack.
You may be concerned about contracting a sexually transmitted infection and will be able to discuss testing with staff at The Health Village.
INDEPENDENT & LOCAL SPECIALIST SUPPORT:
There are a large number of support services you can call or visit.
Revenge pornography is illegal. It is a UK service supporting adults (aged 18+) who are experiencing intimate image abuse, also known as, revenge porn.
The police have specially trained officers who are available to assist you and you can be confident that your complaint will be taken seriously.
You can call the police non-urgently to report something of concern or even discuss a situation on 101. In an emergency always call 999.
You can also report the incident anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at any point on 0800 555 111
If you are thinking about reporting a sexual crime or you already have reported it here is a useful video to watch. It gives an overview of how to report and what you may expect at each stage of the process.
