Sexual Misconduct Response

Remember that the sexual assault was not your fault. No one deserves to be sexually assaulted. You are not alone.

Try to Preserve All Physical Evidence

It is best for any physical evidence to be collected immediately, ideally within the first 24 hours. The quality and quantity of evidence collected later may be substantially diminished.

Avoid washing, douching, brushing your teeth, or changing your clothes. This could be difficult, but if you wash you may destroy evidence that will be needed should you decide to press criminal charges. If you do change your clothes, put all clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault in individual paper bags (not plastic).

Get to a Safe Space and Find Support

Get to a safe place as soon as you can. Remember that you do not have to go through this alone.

Medical examination: You can be examined for injury, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy.

Counseling: You can talk with a counselor or receive referrals to local resources.

Report the Assault

We encourage you to report the assault. You may report the assault in different ways, such as by calling Public Safety at (651) 962-5555 (emergency) or (651) 962-5100 (non-emergency) or your local police at 911. They can help you get to the hospital as well as help you report the assault, should you decide to do so.

Note, going to the hospital to seek medical attention does not obligate you to report the crime.

Seek Medical Attention

It is important to seek immediate and follow-up medical attention for several reasons:

• To assess and treat any physical injuries you may have sustained.
• To determine the risk of sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy and take appropriate medical measures.
• If you choose, you may have evidence collected to aid criminal prosecution if you later decide to file criminal charges. By law, emergency room staff must contact the police when they treat sexual assault survivors. The police will not ask you to file a report if you do not want to.

A hospital can provide general medical treatment and if the victim chooses, conduct a special evidence collection exam. A medical exam could include treatment of any physical problems and various lab tests for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. A specially trained nurse, an emergency department physician, or a gynecologist will perform the evidence collection exam. A sexual assault advocate or a support person of your choice may be present throughout the procedure.

The hospital emergency department follows national standards for victim care, rape exams, and evidence collection procedures. If the decision is made to conduct an evidence collection exam, the anonymous evidence may be held for six months or longer. This means you do not have to decide immediately whether you want to press criminal charges.

Even if you choose not to have a hospital exam, it is still important to get medical attention to treat any physical problems and to conduct various lab tests for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. To arrange non-emergency treatment, contact the Center for Well-Being at (651) 962-6750.

If a friend or someone you know was sexually assaulted, they may experience a variety of emotional reactions. For some, the emotional impact of sexual assault can be immediate and short-term. For others, the effects can be long-lasting. Your friend may find it helpful to talk to a counselor about these feelings.

Listen and Be Supportive

You don't need to know all the answers – your friend is just looking for someone to listen to and be supportive.

A friend may confide in you 10 minutes or 10 years after the assault. At that time, it doesn't matter so much what you say but how well you listen. Allow the person to talk, but do not push for details or ask a lot of questions. Let your friend decide what and when they feel comfortable telling you about the assault and its impact.

It is important that the survivor feels support from friends and family. Be careful not to invade their space. The survivor may be quite frightened and not want to be in close physical contact with anyone, even someone who is trusted.

Believe the Survivor

No one deserves to be sexually assaulted or asks to be raped. Avoid searching for things your friend should have done. Survivors often blame themselves and need to know it was not their fault.

It is important that the survivor has someone who believes that they were assaulted. Let your friend know right away that you care and want to help. It takes courage to talk about sexual assault with other people. Many victims remain silent because they feel ashamed and/or fear that they will be disbelieved or blamed if they tell other people about what happened to them.

Allow Them to Make Their Own Decisions

During a sexual assault, a person loses all control and it is important for the survivor to regain that control. One important way for the survivor to reestablish control is to make decisions autonomously. You may make suggestions such as calling the police, the victim/witness hotline, or telling a resident advisor, but allow the survivor to make their own choices.

Sexual assault has many lasting effects. It is important for you to realize that each survivor recovers at their own pace. Do not question the timing of the recovery. Remain supportive and provide encouragement.

Don't disclose what the victim tells you to other people. Let your friend decide whom they want to confide in.

Provide Ongoing Support

Your friend may need medical attention or counseling. Offer to accompany your friend to get help, such as medical care, an evidentiary examination, counseling, or other services. Offer to be with your friend when they make a police report or tell a parent or partner. Do what you can to assist your friend in getting information about these and other options so they can make informed decisions.

• Encourage your friend to get medical care, even if the assault happened a while ago and even if your friend does not appear to have any physical injuries.
• Encourage your friend to talk with a counselor at a rape treatment center. If your friend is not ready to talk to a counselor “in person,” encourage your friend to call a rape hotline and talk with a counselor on the telephone.
• If your friend is willing to report the crime, encourage them to contact the police as soon as possible. Police officers can help victims get medical care and resolve concerns about their safety. Reporting an incident of sexual violence does not mean that the victim must file charges. If the victim wishes to file a charge with local law enforcement officials, St. Thomas Public Safety will provide assistance when requested.
• Assist your friend in finding information and resources.

Take Care of Yourself

Understand your own feelings. You may also feel confused, hurt, angry, or frightened. Such feelings are normal. Know and respect your own limits. There is only so much you can do to help your friend.

You can provide support, compassion, and companionship when your friend wants it, but try not to make commitments that you cannot fulfill. Remember that it was not your fault. You may feel guilty, thinking that somehow you could have prevented your friend's sexual assault. Don't forget that sexual assault is a violent crime, and you are not responsible for someone else's actions.

Police
St. Paul or Minneapolis: 911
Rome: 113

Regions Hospital
640 Jackson Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
Sexual Offense Services
Sexual Assault Advocate
(651) 254-3584
Emergency Center - SANE Program

Hennepin County Medical Center Emergency Room
701 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415
Sexual Assault Resource Service: (612) 873-5832
Hennepin Assault Response Team (HART)
Sexual Assault Resource Service (SARS)

United Hospital
333 North Smith Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55102
Emergency Room
(651) 241-8755 (direct connection to the Emergency Room)

Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNE) available at area hospitals
United Hospital Emergency Room
333 North Smith Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota 55102
(651) 241-8755 (direct connection to the Emergency Room)
Sexual Assault Care Services (forensic nursing services)

Sexual Violence Services
St. Paul, Minnesota
(651) 266-1000
24-hour hotline; free and confidential

Sexual Violence Center (Hennepin County)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
(612) 871-5111
24-hour hotline; free and confidential

SOS (Ramsey County)
(651) 266-1000

RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network)
1 (800) 656-4673
24-hour hotline; free and confidential

Minnesota Department of Public Safety Resource List for Victims

Domestic Abuse Service Center (for victims of domestic violence and dating violence)
Hennepin County Government Center
Rm. #A-0650 (lower level)
300 S. 6th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55487
(612) 348-5073

Minnesota Office of Justice, Crime Victims Programs
Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
(651) 201-7300 or (888) 622-8799, ext. 1 for financial help
(800) 247-0390, ext. 3 for information and referral
(651) 205-4827 TTY

Ramsey County Victim/Witness Services
Ramsey County Attorney's Office
(651) 266-3222

Hennepin County Victim Services
Hennepin County Attorney's Office
(612) 348-4003

Steele County Victim Services Program
303 S Cedar Ave, Owatonna, MN, 55060
(507) 444-7780

Lawhelpmn.org (legal information on a variety of sexual assault issues)

U.S. Embassy in Rome
Telephone: 06 46741

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100 Customer Service Hotline #: (800) 421-3481
Facsimile: (202) 453-6012 TDD#: (877) 521-2172
Email: OCR@ed.gov