To effectively fight the issue of sexual assault law enforcement needs to know when and where these crimes are being committed. Every perpetrator in custody prevents that person from victimizing someone else.

If sexual assault occurs, safety and medical assistance are should be the first considerations.

• Go to a safe place as soon as possible.
• It is important to seek immediate medical attention from a medical provider/ emergency room, even if you do not wish to complete a forensic examination and a formal report to the police.
• Meeting with a medical provider within 72 hours ensures adequate time to receive care for any injuries and the opportunity for emergency contraception and may receive prophylaxis for HIV or sexually transmitted infections.

Sexual assault Forensic Examination Process (Also commonly referred to as Rape Kit):

1. To start, a detailed history will be taken by a medical professional.
2. This provides a clear picture of medical history including health status, pre-existing conditions, and medications.
3. Next a head-to-toe, detailed examination and assessment of the entire body (including and internal examination).  This could include collection of blood, urine, hair, and other body secretion samples, photo documentation of injures (such as cuts, bruises, scrapes, or other injuries), and clothing collection including under garments.
4. Finally, the medical professional will speak about treatment for sexually transmitted infections that may have been exposed during the assault.

Remember you always have the right to participate or refuse any or all parts of the exam. However it is important to remember that critical evidence may be missed if not collected or analyzed.

• The choice is entirely yours to report or not report to the crime to the authorities (police). You have no legal obligation to report sexual assault. However, it is important to remember some states have statutes of limitations that set the maximum amount of time you have to press charges against your perpetrator.
• If you want to report what happened to the police, it is extremely important to preserve any physical evidence of any assault, especially if you intend to prosecute your attacker.
• In most cases, the police will come to you and take a statement about what occurred. It may helps to right down every detail you can recollect, so you can communicate the details and clearly and effectively as possible.
• In addition to the statement you provide, the police will collect evidence. This is best done within 72 hours of the assault and is best collected immediately following the assault.
• For the most effective evidence collection, it is best if you DO NOT shower, bathe, wash your hands, use the toilet, change your clothing, or wash clothing or bedding. If you changed your clothes and are at a location other than the crime scene, carefully place all clothing worn at the time (or bedding) into a paper bag for the police.
• Remember the more time passes between the sexual assault and reporting it to the police, the less likely they will be able to collect physical evidence which may be very important to the prosecution of a criminal case.