What To Do If You Are Sexually Assaulted

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Have you been sexually assaulted? Are you experiencing abuse?

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED

If this is for a child (up to age 15), please click here.

Your safety is most important.

Are you able to get to a safe place?
This can mean different things to different people. If you to know more about safety options, please call the hotline 215-985-3333.

If you are seriously injured, go to the nearest hospital or call 911.

After a sexual assault, you have choices.
Whatever choice you make is valid. You do not have to make a police report before you get a rape kit or forensic rape exam (FRE). You can get a rape kit or forensic rape exam (FRE) before reporting the incident to the police. Click the buttons below to learn more:

If You Choose to Get a Forensic Rape Exam (FRE)

Forensic evidence collection is best collected immediately following an assault or within 72 hours of the assault.

1. We know that after a traumatic experience, you may want to shower or change clothes. If you can, please make sure NOT to shower, bathe, or wash your clothes before the Forensic Rape Exam.
2. If you’ve already showered, bathed, or washed your clothes, that’s okay, you’ll still be able to get a Forensic Rape Exam. If you want to change out of the clothes you were wearing, make sure to place your clothes in a paper bag (not a plastic one).
3. Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center (PSARC) is located at the Philadelphia Safety Collaborative.
   
   To get a Forensic Rape Exam, go to:
   
   Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center (PSARC)
   300 E. Hunting Park Avenue
   Philadelphia, PA 19124
   Click here for directions
   
   Call 215-425-1625 to reach the On-Call Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.
   
   The Philadelphia Safety Collaborative is where several agencies are located, including Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit (SVU) 215-685-3251 and Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center (PSARC) 215-425-1625.
   
4. What if I don’t have a ride? Don’t worry if you don’t have a ride. We will help you. Call WOAR’s hotline at 215-985-3333. We will call and pay for an Uber ride to and from PSARC. If you put your clothing in a paper bag, be sure to bring it with you. You can also call 911 if you prefer, but we recognize that doesn’t feel safe for some people in our community.

Once You Get to Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center (PSARC)

You can get a Forensic Rape Exam (FRE) anonymously. You can also get a Forensic Rape Exam (FRE) without filing a police report.

• A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) will conduct the Forensic Rape Exam (FRE). The nurse will collect evidence, assess your health, provide first aid, treat any injuries, and provide medication.
• If an on-site WOAR Crisis Advocate is not available to provide in-person support, please call the hotline at 215-985-3333 for support over the phone or you can request a WOAR Crisis Advocate come to PSARC to support you on-site during the Forensic Rape Exam (FRE). The caring people at WOAR can stay on the phone with you during the whole process.
• WOAR Crisis Advocates will also follow up with you by phone after the exam, if requested.
• If you want to file a police report, you can meet with a Special Victims Unit (SVU) detective while you are at PSARC.

Support While at PSARC

WOAR Crisis Advocates are stationed at PSARC. You can request to speak to them at any time. The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) will ask you if you would like a WOAR advocate to accompany you to the medical exam. The WOAR advocate will sit with you and provide support during the exam to whatever extent feels helpful to you in the moment. You may also decline the offer and request to speak to them before and/or after the exam.

If a WOAR Crisis Advocate is not available to provide in-person support, please call the hotline at 215-985-3333 for support over the phone or you can request a WOAR Crisis Advocate come to PSARC to support you on-site during the Forensic Rape Exam (FRE). The caring people at WOAR can stay on the phone with you during the whole process.

You may choose not to call the hotline during your time at PSARC. But, you may still want an advocate to follow up with you after the exam. If you request it, a WOAR Crisis Advocate can follow up with you via phone within one week of the exam. For phone follow-up, the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) will ask for your signed consent to share your contact information with WOAR.

We recognize that making any choice after a sexual assault can be difficult. The process of not disclosing your experience to anyone, filing a police report and/or getting a Forensic Rape Exam (FRE) can be scary and exhausting, but we are here for you. Please call us for support from WOAR Sexual Assault Counselor at any time day or night to receive emotional support and resources during your decision-making process.

HOW IT WORKS FOR A CHILD (UP TO AGE 15)

The child’s safety is the first priority. If the child is in need of urgent or acute medical care, call 911 or go directly to:

• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), 324 South 34th Street, Philadelphia 800-879-2467
• St. Christopher’s Hospital, 3601 East Erie Ave, Philadelphia 888-247-4754

At the hospital, describe what happened. The hospital will alert 911.

WOAR can provide:

• Counseling for the parent and/or teen on our hotline at 215-985-3333
• Support and information throughout the process
• Counseling now or in the future to heal from the impacts of trauma

If you called 911 before going to the hospital, and the child is not seriously injured, a police officer will offer to transport the child and adult caregiver to the Philadelphia Safety Collaborative at 300 E. Hunting Park Ave. in Philadelphia, 215-425-1625.

The Philadelphia Safety Collaborative is where several agencies are located:

• Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit (SVU), 215-685-3251
• Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center (PSARC), 215-425-1625
• Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS), 215-683-4347
• Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA), 215-387-9500

As an alternative, you may also call Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit (SVU) directly, 24/7 at 215-685-3251 and you can go there, day or night, without a police officer providing transportation. No reports are taken over the phone.

With all cases of child sexual abuse, whether the first contact is through a children’s hospital, 911, or by directly calling the Special Victims Unit (SVU), the child and family are linked to Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) and Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA).

Within hours (or a few days at the most), a child forensic interview occurs at the Philadelphia Safety Collaborative. If the child is not in need of acute or urgent medical care, examinations or delayed reportings could be scheduled for a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam at the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA). The PCA exams are generally scheduled by the SVU detectives based on the timeline of events and reported nature of exposure. The providers giving the exams at PCA are child abuse specialists who work with the CHOP and St. Chris teams, so they are all very much looped in with one another.