Resource
Anyone can experience sexual violence, regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, ability, immigration or socioeconomic status. On this page you will find information, legal definitions, resources, and links you can use to learn more about sexual violence. It's important to remember that no one deserves to be harmed.
After you have experienced harm, you may have concerns about safety, health, disclosure, and getting support and care. You can review this information or you can call the Sexual Assault Response Line (401-863-6000) for a confidential counselor who can help you navigate these choices.
If you feel unsafe:
Go to a secure place as soon as you can and consider asking someone you trust to stay with you.
If you need immediate emergency assistance, call Brown EMS (401.863-4111) or 911.
Another immediate consideration might include preserving evidence of the incident. If you are able, try to avoid drinking or eating, bathing, showering, cleaning your genital area (or using a product designed for genital hygiene), brushing your teeth, or changing your clothes. Evidence can be collected at a hospital emergency room, as well as testing for drugs and alcohol. You can decide later whether or not you want to make a police report or press criminal charges. The First Five Days page has more detailed information about immediate considerations.
Consider getting medical care. Options for care include Student Health Services, hospital emergency rooms, or other care facilities (ex, Planned Parenthood). This can be important even if you do not have any physical injuries. Medical care can include testing and treatment for STIs, drug screening, pregnancy prevention and options counseling, and evidence collection. All services, with the exception of evidence collection and drug screening, are available at Health Services. For a detailed description of what services are available at different healthcare facilities and what might happen during a medical exam, see the Medical Care and the Forensic Exam section below.
If you think you were drugged or consumed a sedative-like substance, ask the medical provider at the hospital to take a urine sample. Predatory drugs like GHB and Rohypnol are more likely to be detected in urine than in blood. If you still have remnants of the drink, save them for analysis. Since many of these drugs clear the system quickly, a negative test result does not necessarily mean that no drug was involved.
There may be some time sensitive medical concerns, particularly within the first five days after an incident. For ongoing emotional support and care, talk with a counselor who is trained to assist victims of sexual assault. You can call one of the resources listed on this page.
Even if you have no apparent injuries, it is still a good idea to consider medical care. Going to a health care facility, even though it might be difficult, is an important way for you to start taking care of yourself. You can decide what medical care you want or don't want. You may come to Student Health Services or you may go to any hospital you choose. If you need to be transferred from Health Services to another emergency care site, transport options are available and a SHARE Advocate can help you to access them.
At the hospital, you will be asked questions about your general health. If you are someone who could become pregnant, you will be asked about your menstrual history and your use of contraception. You will also be asked specific questions about the assault. It may be difficult to recall some of the details, and it may be emotionally painful to talk about what happened. Medical providers ask specific questions to find out what to look for when they examine you. The information you give helps them conduct a thorough and appropriate physical evaluation.
Then you can choose to have a physical exam. The clinician will check for external and internal injuries and test for any sexually transmitted infections. You may be given antibiotics to prevent infection. A pregnancy test will be done if appropriate and you will be given emergency contraceptive pills to prevent unintended pregnancy.
The medical providers will, with your permission, collect physical evidence to be used if you decide to prosecute. Collecting this physical evidence,during a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam is often called collecting a "rape kit." This cannot be done at Health Services, but must be done at an emergency room or hospital. Depending on the types of sexual contact that occurred, the search for physical evidence may include taking samples from the vagina, mouth, or rectum to test for sperm cells and semen. Other evidence may be obtained from fingernail scrapings, foreign matter on your body, and the clothes you were wearing at the time of the assault.
All exam findings are completely confidential and can only be released with your written consent. If you have visible injuries, you may be asked to have photographs taken. Photographing injuries is important because by the time your assailant is prosecuted, the injuries may have healed.
Going to the hospital does not mean that you have to make a report to the police. That is your choice. The hospital staff will probably ask you to come back for a follow-up checkup. Or, you follow up with a medical provider of your choice. A counselor will be available to talk with you. Additional ongoing counseling will be available to you through the support resources of your choice.
It is up to you whether or not you share information about your experience. It is normal for people to have different needs about whether to disclose, when and who they talk to about an experience. Some people want to talk about what happened right away, while others may go days, weeks, months, or even years and many never disclose to anyone, including their closest friends or loved ones.
Here are some examples of people you may choose to talk to in your support network:
People talk about their experiences of being harmed for a variety of reasons. Sometimes people only want support and care for understanding and processing their experience. There are several confidential resources on and off campus to assist you in determining your options for reporting, as well as gaining emotional support.
Sometimes people want an official response from an organization (e.g. reporting), such as a school or law enforcement agency and in order to learn about options and take steps to feel safe. People may also want to encourage behavior change, and/or try to get justice or accountability from someone who has harmed them. Any of these reasons are valid, as well as ones that are not listed here, and can be accessed by reporting the incident. You may choose to tell anyone you want, although some people may have the responsibility to report that information to others. You might tell a staff member (e.g., RPLs, coaches, other staff on campus) or faculty member of the University. It is important to know that many staff and faculty will be required to report the incident to the Title IX Office. The Title IX office will make sure that you have a list of resources but you will not need to move forward with a formal report to the University unless you choose to do so. This information is kept private, and will be only shared on a “need to know” basis. Something to keep in mind when you tell friends or family members is that someone who cares about you may have their own emotional process regarding the incident.
Often people who have been hurt do not know what actions they want to take. However, these folks have a right to know their options.
Expanding one’s support network after an experience of harm can be beneficial. There are a a number of spaces on and off campus where you can find services and access to community and social support. Options include discussing what happened, getting emotional, physical, mental, academic, housing help or support and more.
Options for reporting and accountability include formal processes through University procedures, the justice system, or via informal community-based methods.