Have you been sexually assaulted by someone? You may be feeling vulnerable, frightened, and unsure what to do next. No one deserves to experience sexual assault. The person who inflicted this pain and suffering on you should be held responsible for his or her actions as soon as possible. Even if you are feeling afraid, it is important to seek justice and receive help for what you have been through. In fact, there are a few things you should consider doing right away.
Go to the Hospital For Treatment
One of the first things you should do after being sexually assaulted is to take a trip to the emergency room or urgent care center for treatment. You may be suffering from a number of extensive injuries that would need to be treated immediately. If you were raped by your attacker, the medical staff may perform a rape kit. Although it may seem intrusive, the kit could help you put your attacker behind bars, especially if the attacker left any DNA evidence behind.
File a Police Report
While you are at the hospital, consider filing a police report. You can explain the situation to the officer and let them know exactly what happened. If there were any witnesses around, the officers may ask to speak to them, too. The witness statements will give them an even better idea of what happened when you were attacked. If you did not personally know your attacker, you may be asked to describe what he or she looked like. An artist may come up with a sketch that could be used to help identify the individual. If you did know the name of your attacker, the police may begin searching for that individual.
Contact a Law Firm That Takes on Sexual Assault Cases
Once the person has been arrested, the case may need to go to court. If the individual who attacked you is trying to deny that anything ever happened, you could be dealing with some legal difficulties. The best thing to do is hire a lawyer from a law firm that represents victims of sexual assault. The lawyer you decide to hire may provide the best legal advice to you while gathering as much evidence against the defendant as possible. With plenty of evidence stacked against him or her, such as medical records, DNA evidence, and witness statements, it may be possible to put your attacker behind bars for a lengthy period of time.
Speak With a Therapist
While it is important to seek medical treatment for your injuries and press charges so that your attacker gets put behind bars where he or she belongs, there is one thing many victims of sexual assault forget to do. You should speak with a therapist in the aftermath of the assault for several reasons. You may feel all kinds of emotional after suffering physically during the attack and then emotionally during the court proceedings. Some victims of sexual assault tend to suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts because they do not know how to cope with what happened to them.
One of the best things you could possibly do for your own emotional and mental health is to start speaking with a therapist. Talk about the way that you feel and express yourself to someone who is there for you and can provide the best possible advice. You may slowly start to feel like yourself again after attending several therapy sessions.
If you are a victim of sexual assault, it is important to take action. Not only should you seek treatment for any injuries that were caused to you by the attacker, but you should also press charges in an attempt to put that person away for a long period of time. It helps to speak with a therapist about everything that has happened to you, too.
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