Sexual Assault
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Sexual assault occurs whenever a person is forced to submit sexually to another person against his or her will. The term “sexual assault" may include a wide range of physical experiences, from inappropriate touching to penetration and rape.
A victim of sexual assault may experience violation in many different forms. The aggressor may be an acquaintance, a friend, a stranger, a family member, an intimate partner (such as a spouse), a parent, or others in positions of power, such as counselors, therapists, and teachers.
Sexual assault is a humiliating, terrifying, and often times brutal crime which violates an individual’s innermost physical and psychological being.
If you have been sexually assaulted, please call the L.U.N.A. crisis line for immediate assistance. Regardless of when the assault occurred, you should consider the following:
- Go to the home of a friend or any place where you will receive emotional support.
- Seek medical treatment. DO NOT shower, bathe, eat or drink anything. DO NOT change your clothes before going.
- Consider reporting the assault to the authorities (reporting the assault does not necessarily mean that you will have to press charges).
- If you are reluctant to report the crime and/or press charges, seek medical attention regardless. You may have suffered internal injuries or be at risk of pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases which may require immediate treatment.
- Seek information. Regardless of whether or not you press charges, you should consult the nearest sexual assault crisis center for information regarding counseling. The services are free and confidential.
- Know that you are not to blame. You have done nothing to cause the rape.
515 28th Street, Suite 105 Des Moines, IA 50312 515.271.5060
