What you can do if you are raped.

You have the right to deal with your own life, in your own way, at your own pace. There is no "right way" to deal with rape and incest. If you are raped, you have the right to be supported

You may have someone close to you who can provide you with support or you may feel that you would like additional support. In any case, it is certainly a good thing to have all the information and support you need, in order to decide for yourself what you will do now.

Immediately after a rape you will be faced with decisions like who to tell, how to cope, how to feel safe, whether to get medical attention, whether to tell police.
In making your decisions you might want to consider your rights:

• you have a right to be safe.

• you have the right to be believed.

• you have a right to be upset.

• you have a right NOT to be blamed.

• you have a right to expect that people whom you choose to tell about the rape will respect your reactions, choices and decisions.

• you have a right to be angry.

• you have a right to be silent.

• you have a right to talk about the rape and to be heard.

• you have a right to privacy and confidentiality.

• you have a right to information.

• you have a right to make your own choices and decisions about what to do.

• You have a right to choose who to tell and who not to tell about the rape.

• you have a right to sympathetic and gentle medical care.

• you have a right to be treated with respect.

• you have a right to NOT forgive the rapist.

• you have the right to report the crime to the police.

• you have the right to rquest a female medical practioner or police officer (although this may not be possible).

Many women speak for the first time, or remember past experiences of rape or incest, years later as adults. As an adult survivor, you have survived in whatever ways that have been available to you.

Some women abuse drugs and alcohol, develop eating issues and/or use other forms of self harm to cope with their experiences. It is important to find support people who do not judge you for the ways you cope or have coped in the past.

You have a right to expect support that is free from discrimination.

How will my friends and family react?