What To Do If You Have Been Raped, and Prevention Tips
Rape is the usual word for the act of one person forcing another to have sex. Rape is one of the most horrible things to happen to a person. It is not only painful and traumatic, but it is hard to forget. Men and women can be raped. Men and women can be rapists, although it’s mostly men. Women rapists tend to stick objects painfully into the genitals and anus of their mostly female victims. If you remember nothing else of this article, please remember this – rape is not the victim’s fault. It’s the fault of the rapist only.
Many rape victims have painfully discovered their rapist was not a stranger, but someone they thought they knew, such as a husband, boyfriend, teacher or even a family member. They have different sets of problems and recovery needs than those who have raped by strangers. This article will concentrate on those who’ve been raped by strangers.
Preventing rape is very difficult, because of forces you can’t control. It’s akin to trying to find a place on Earth that will never have an earthquake. Any place on Earth can have an earthquake, but some places more than others. You must use common sense when you go out on a date or go to a new place. Try not to drink any alcohol or take drugs, which can slow down your reactions or make you act provocatively to others. Keep in well-lit, well populated areas. Walk confidently, even when lost, so you put off the appearance that you know exactly what you are doing. Keep a cell phone on you for emergencies. Before you go out, have some sort of calling check in arrangement with a family member or trusted friend. For example, if they haven’t had a call from you by 11pm, they know you are in trouble and need to call the police.
Bad things do happen. Despite following common sense and these prevention tips, you might still get raped. It’s not your fault.
After the attack, try and breathe. You will get through this. As soon as the rapist is gone and you can safely move about, you have to get to the police or a hospital IMMEDIATELY. Do not comb your hair, get washed or even try to put your clothes back on. You could destroy evidence that could put your rapist in jail. A lot of rape victims never report their attack because they are afraid they will not be believed. If you go into a police station or a hospital with bruises, ripped clothes and black eyes, no one can say they don’t believe you.
A lot of embarrassing things will happen during the rape investigation. But they are not done to ridicule you – they are done to help you. You will be photographed, most likely naked, for evidence to prove you were attacked. You will have to have your anus and genitals checked for any semen deposits, which hold vital DNA evidence. Your fingernails may be checked to see if you scratched the rapist and maybe caught some DNA fragments or even thread fragments. You will have to tell the story of your rape over and over again for procedures, and to check that you are not lying. The police will check your past to see what kind of persona you are. They’re not doing it to humiliate you. They are honestly trying to make the best case for you that they can.
Recovering from rape is the same as recovering from a sudden death, or a natural disaster. It will take time. You might not believe this – but you will feel better one day. There are many people, organizations, doctors and friends who are there to help you. Take some time to grieve, and definitely follow your doctor’s advice, but try to live as normal a life as possible afterwards. The familiar routine is a slave that helps your spirit and mind to heal more quickly than hiding away.
I hope you will never be raped, but is the worst should happen, I hope these words can provide some help and comfort in your time of grief and healing.
Comments (5 comments)
Pls, am not well understanding this fact about sex, and its problem.
does that mean relationship between a Boy and Girl, will not be come strong unleas they engage theirself into sexual intercourse?
Precious / October 11th, 2007, 5:21 pm / #
can you give some more information, cause i got raped when i was 12 and my parents didn’t do anything about it, and can you tell at what age someone should have have sex?
hythnarline / January 8th, 2008, 12:05 am / #
I was raped by a girl of 16 year age she was my patient i live in india how can i get rid of her she is coming daily at my clinic and have sex with me daily and if i oppose she threatens me to lodge a rare case against me pls help my mobile number is +9xxxxxxxxx she wants to mary me she was virgin when she first time attempted rare on me pls help
Dr.Harsh / February 18th, 2008, 11:37 am / #
I’m writing you this letter because I need help and have had a hard time trying to figure out what happened to me. When I was a little girl i told my mother that a family member hurt me “down there.” The problem is I don’t remember much about what or if something happened to me. I remember the feeling of my bare back on the cold hardwood floor of my bedroom but very little else. I don’t even remember telling my mom about anything. A few years later my mother found bruises on me from someone “tickling me.” This made me start to wonder if he had done anything to me. After asking my mother she told me what I had told her and asked me what I remember but I don’t remember anything but that feeling. I have read a lot about rape and the things that people go through afterwards and a lot of those things fit what I am going through. Apparently I even have nightmares in which I pled “No, don’t hurt me” but I don’t remember any of them though many many people have see me have them most of which didn’t know anything about what may have happened to me. I don’t know what to think anymore and the older I get the more I want to find out but I don’t know how to find out. Please if you can help me I would be forever grateful, Thank you!
Unsure / April 16th, 2008, 12:18 am / #
I was raped by a Gay Male Caregiver when i got put in a Home for people with Disabilities. Working there was his idea of a legal way to get his hands on some “fresh meat”. I have Epileptic Seizures, and would wake up afterwards finding myself back in bed, completely naked, with him there fondeling me. First time it happened, my anus was bleeding and my doctor said it was torn from something being forced inside it. But they didn’t have DNA back then, so if he didn’t see it happen, I haven’t got a case. Tried talking about it in a Support Group, but the person running the group is a lesbian and a Gay Rights Activist defending their way of life. If you don’t like it, she said that’s discrimination. On the Internet, I typed in Sexually Abused Men, only to come up with hundreds of sites for Women Sexually Abused by Men. Everywhere I go for help, there’s nothing out there!
Matthew / May 13th, 2008, 12:52 pm / #
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