In honour of Human Rights Day

After a rape

The hours immediately following a rape are crucial.  That is because your immediate actions, the decisions you make and the people you talk to will have a direct impact on your recovery and the successful prosecution of the rapist. It is therefore imperative to know what procedures to follow should you find yourself in this predicament.

Knowing what to do in the event of a sexual assault is very important. The following frequently asked questions and answers will therefore serve as an informative guideline:

What is the first thing you should do, if you are sexually assaulted? Please report the attack to the closest police station to where the incident occurred.

What should you not do? You should not wash, bath or shower. Do not change your clothing, eat or drink anything and avoid using the toilet if possible. If it is necessary to change your clothes take the clothing that you were wearing at the time of the incident along to the police station.

Where should you go first? Should you go to the hospital or in fact to the police station? Go to the police station closest to the area where the incident occurred. A police officer or a member of the Victim Empowerment Support Group will then escort you to the nearest hospital together with a Sexual Assault Crime Kit.

Who deals with you, male or female, doctor or nurse? A female officer would usually be assigned to the case. However, due to limited police resources this is not always possible. On arrival at the hospital, a nurse will attend to you. A doctor or a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner will then do the medical examination in order to collect the evidence.  Unfortunately female medical examiners are not always available in these instances.

What does a rape kit consist of? A sexual assault crime kit consists of different types of swabs. Certain areas on the body are swabbed to collect evidence and these areas differ from patient to patient, depending on the nature of the sexual assault. 

How important is trauma debriefing, and how does it work? It is critical as it provides much needed emotional support.  This, once off counselling session, is done with a trained nurse, psychologist or trauma counsellor. Based on the health professional's assessment during the counselling session you might be referred to a psychologist for further counselling.   In certain cases you might be encouraged to join a support group.

When it comes to HIV testing and screening, how often should you go, and when? HIV testing is done at the hospital upon your arrival. This is done to ascertain your baseline HIV result and can only be done with your informed and written consent.

What does anti-retroviral therapy entail? Only if you are HIV negative will a post exposure prophylaxis regimen (anti-retroviral therapy) be administered. These drugs then need to be taken for 28 days. When you consent to take the anti-retroviral a commitment is made to complete a 28-day medication course.

You will be advised by the medical professional on how and when to take the medication. Unfortunately, the medication has some unpleasant side effects. While these differ from person to person it includes amongst others, nausea, painful joints, sore muscles and headaches. 

If you should fall pregnant, what are your options? On arrival at the hospital you will be given emergency contraception. This will prevent you from falling pregnant and will only be administered once it has been established that you are not currently pregnant. If, even after this precaution has been taken, you fall pregnant due to the incident, a healthcare professional dealing with your case will advise you about your possible options.

Are there any support groups for women that have experienced sexual abuse? POWA (People Opposing Women Abuse) offers support to abused women by running workshops and counselling groups. They have a helpline: (011) 642-4345 and can also be contacted through the web at www.powa.co.za.