It’s normal to feel anxious about seeking medical help after you have experienced any type of sexual violence (sexual assault, sexual harm, or rape). We hope that reading this booklet will help you to understand why seeing a medical service can be a good thing, even if the assault happened a long time ago, and whether or not you want to involve the police.

MEDICAL CARE

A specialist sexual assault medical service (called SAATS – Sexual Assault Assessment and Treatment Service) can make sure you are okay and help deal with any concerns you may have about your health. Use our service directory to find a specialist sexual assault medical service near you.

By having a medical examination, just knowing that physically you are okay can give great relief, a sense of control, and can be an important step towards recovery.

You can have a medical examination even if you don’t want to involve the police. A medical examination will help assess:

• Injuries: for assessment and treatment. If you would like to involve the police, any injuries can be documented for police reporting.

• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): A full STI check can be provided along with any preventative treatment.

• Pregnancy: treatment can be provided to prevent pregnancy within the first few days.

• Psychological needs: Emotional effects from what has happened are common and finding the right support for this is something most people need help with. Everyone reacts differently in these situations. Some people will want to talk to someone soon, others will want to do so later. An ACC claim can be lodged that will let you access funded counselling at any time in the future

EVIDENCE COLLECTION

If you are considering making a report to the police, the sooner you are seen after a sexual assault, the more likely it is that the clinician will be able to collect forensic evidence to help with a police investigation. However, they understand that people often don’t want to get help straight away.

Often people are seen for a forensic examination up to seven days after the assault. If you do wait, there are some things you can do to make sure the clinician can get as much forensic evidence as possible:

• Avoid washing, showering or bathing.

• If you need to pass urine, press your underwear to your vagina or penis before going to the toilet and avoid wiping afterwards.

• If you have been anally assaulted, and need to poo, press your underwear to your anus before going to the toilet, and avoid wiping afterwards.

• Keep the clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault and don’t wash it. Even if you haven’t done these things, there may still be some forensic evidence and it’s still worth being seen for a medical examination to check that you are physically okay

Note: No medical examination of any sort will be done without your full consent.

If you don’t know whether you want the police involved and want to leave your options open, that’s okay. The clinician can do a forensic examination, but instead of giving this evidence to the police, it can be safely stored for you until you have had time to decide what you want to do. The team will let you know how long it can be stored for.

SUPPORT

The examination is done by a specially trained clinician (doctor, nurse practitioner, or nurse). In some areas a crisis support person may also be available to attend, but it is up to you if they are present during the examination. The police will not be present during the examination, even if you have spoken to them.

It’s often easier to talk openly with as few people present as possible, but you are welcome to bring someone with you for support if you wish (friend, relative or member of your whānau). It’s okay if you don’t want them there during parts of the examination.

If you’d like to talk about your options, there is a national Helpline. For free 24/7 confidential contact with trained specialists who can connect you to sexual harm support services in your community, you can get in touch with Safe to Talk.

For more information on getting specialised sexual assault medical help, visit https://medsac.org.nz/saats-help

Information provided to TOAH-NNEST by Medical Sexual Assault Clinicians Aotearoa (MEDSAC).