Steps for Survivors of Sexual Assault
- Immediately get to a safe place.
- If you want to report the assault, notify the police or Public Safety immediately. If the incident occurred off campus, contact the appropriate police jurisdiction (in most instances 911). If the incident occurred on campus, please call 793-2222. Reporting the crime can help you regain a sense of personal power and control and can also help ensure the safety of other potential victims.
- Get medical assistance. Public Safety and police jurisdictions will transport the survivor to the nearest hospital authorized to conduct the rape protocol examination.
- A survivor of sexual assault is a primary component of the evidence in a crime scene. Evidence must be collected within 72 hours of the assault. In order to preserve any physical evidence, we caution the survivor to refrain from the following:
- Bathing or showering
- Drinking
- Using the restroom
- Eating
- Douching
- Smoking
- Changing your clothes
- Disturbing the crime scene
- Brushing your teeth
There is no charge for the rape protocol examination providing the survivor files an official police report with the appropriate law enforcement agency within 72 hours. The rape protocol examination is used to (a) collect evidence important in criminal persecution; and (b) treat possible injuries/illness sustained from the assault. Submitting to the examination give law enforcement an opportunity to obtain any possible evidence necessary to support your case should you choose to handle this through the criminal justice process.
Even if you choose not to file a report, it is still important to have a medical exam to treat any possible physical injuries and to test for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.
GET HELP, whether you choose to officially report the sexual assault or not, from campus or community resources. Resources, such as The Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts, support services for Holy Cross students and others, are available to work to meet your needs, answer questions, locate resources and to offer support. Please take advantage of the programs and services available to survivors of sexual assault. Recovery can be a long and difficult process - especially when one is going it alone.