There is no right or wrong way of coping with sexual violence, as an individual you will have your own ways of coping.  There is often an expectation that after a rape or sexual assault that the survivor will be ‘hysterical’ but many survivors remain very calm or even numb following an attack.  Again, in the longer term ways of coping are very individual and can depend on how long the sexual violence lasted for, whether or not you have safety in your every day life, if you are able to talk to people you trust or if you have accessed other support e.g. on the RCS Helpline or from a local Rape Crisis Centre.  The very fact that you are reading this page is an indication that you are taking positive steps to find ways of coping.

Everyone is different and many factors can influence how long it takes, this can   include the nature of the attack, how long the abuse went on for, who the abuser/s was and whether or not there is safety in your life just now. How you cope and how you recover is individual to you. There is no set time in which you should be 'over' what happened to you; it's important not to put pressure on yourself and to give yourself as much time as you need.

It can be helpful to remember that healing from sexual violence can mean that sometimes you have times which are better or worse than others and that this is normal.  It can take a lot of energy to recover so it’s important to make space for yourself and try to rest.

You can visit your local family planning or sexual health clinic for routine testing of STI’s.  You do not need to tell them what happened unless you wish to and you do not even need to give them your real name.  The services are free and confidential.  If any of your tests are positive for STI’s the clinic will provide you with the right treatment e.g. antibiotics.  If you are having an HIV test it is worth   considering when best to do this.  This is because it takes 12 weeks for the infection to show up.  You can also have these tests done at your GP but they are required to record the test and the result in your medical record.

Depending upon when you think you may have become pregnant there are a number of different options.  You can take the Emergency Contraceptive Pill up to 3 days (72 hours) after the attack. An IUD often called a Coil can be fitted up to 5 days (120 hours) and must remain inside you until the time of your next period.  You can get Emergency Contraception from local family planning and sexual health clinics.  The RCS Helpline or your local Rape Crisis Centre can help to find your closest service.  The Emergency Contraceptive Pill can also be bought from chemists for a cost of £25. 

If you are pregnant and do not wish to continue with the pregnancy you can ask your GP or a doctor at a family planning clinic for a termination (abortion).  It is your decision and no one has a right to tell you what you should do, it is about what is right for you.  The RCS Helpline and local Rape Crisis Centres will be able to support you and give you an opportunity to talk things through if this would be helpful, no one at Rape Crisis will judge you.

UK law states that a termination can legally take place up until the 24th week of the pregnancy.  However, in practice it is rare for terminations to be carried out over 18 weeks of pregnancy.  Early terminations are generally safer than later ones.

In order to arrange for a termination you will need to see at least 2 doctors, the first will refer you on to the second.  If your own GP has chosen not to be involved in referrals for termination, they must refer you to another doctor or service that will.

If you are under 16, you have the right to a termination as long as the doctor who sees you decides you fully understand the procedure and its implications.  Your parents do not have to be told.
*Some information drawn from: NHS Greater Glasgow – Worried about pregnancy?

RCS Helpline and local Rape Crisis Centres will provide support regardless of whether it’s been reported or not.

If you are thinking of reporting to the police it is helpful to know that this can take up to a few hours.  Usually you would be asked to make a statement when you report but you can ask to speak with an officer first and then decide if you want to report.  If you do not remember everything don’t worry, you can add to the statement the following day.  It can be a good idea to take the name and number of police officer who you see in case you do wish to add to your statement.  If you report the crime in a city you will be likely to be seen in a Family Protection Unit where staff are trained around sexual violence and where an examination can be carried out.  If you live in Glasgow and you are reporting a recent attack (within 7 days), a specialised service named Archway offers a 24hour service for reporting, examination and support to survivors of sexual violence.  In some areas where there is no Family Protection Unit, CID will work with the case.

If the attack or abuse that you experienced happened historically you will be asked to give a statement but you will not be asked to have an examination.

If you have recently been raped or sexually assaulted you will be asked to have a medical examination.  You can ask for a female doctor but depending on the area you live in this might not be possible.  The timescale can be quite important as the examination is looking for forensic evidence.  The timescales for forensic evidence from an internal source are within the first 72 hours, however other forensic evidence such as a hair or stains to clothing can be detected for between 5 and 7 days. 

If you have recently been raped or sexually assaulted it is very natural to want to wash, or to take a drink to help with shock.  This can destroy evidence however so police advice is to try not to wash or eat or drink anything before going to the police. If you have changed out of the clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault, you should take these with you to give to the police.  

If it has been a recent attack it is likely that you will be asked to return to where it happened so that further evidence can be gathered.  It is also possible that you will be asked to return to the police station a couple of days after you report in case bruising has become visible.

Whether the attack has been recent or happened a long time ago it is entirely your own decision to report.  It can however, be helpful to talk it through or to get some support.  You can take a friend or relative to the police station to wait for you and give support, or you can contact your local Rape Crisis Centre who may be able to go with you.  The RCS Helpline is available to offer support and information if you are thinking about reporting or want to talk it through after you have done so.

Depending on who he is e.g. acquaintance, relative, stranger, you will have an idea of whether or not you are likely to see him again.           

If you have reported the attack to the police and it’s going to court it is an offence for the accused to approach you.  If he does so you should report this to the police.

If he lives close by and continues to intimidate or threaten you, you can report this to the police.  You can also consider applying for an interdict  to prevent him from approaching you or your home.

If the sexual violence has been carried out by your partner or ex-partner you could consider approaching Women’s Aid who offer support, information and accommodation.

If you are a young person aged 16+ and the abuse has been carried out by a parent or guardian, the RCS Helpline and local Rape Crisis Centres can help put you in touch with projects that specialise in supporting young people affected by sexual abuse, some of which offer accommodation.

If you are a young person under the age of 16 you could tell any adult who has a responsibility to make sure you are safe.  This could be a parent, a teacher, a youth club worker, a doctor.  You are not to blame for what has happened and have the right to live in safety. 

If the attacker was a stranger you may be worried about seeing him e.g. in town. This is a very understandable fear.  It can help to think about steps you can take to make you feel more confident e.g. attending a women’s safety course, carrying a mobile phone, arranging to meet a friend, thinking about what times of day and what places feel ok for you.

The Procurator Fiscal receives the police investigation after the accused is caught.    Their job is to look at the evidence and decide if it will stand up in a court of Law.  Scots Law requires corroborative evidence – that is at least 2 pieces of evidence which back each other up.  Usually your statement is one piece of evidence and the other/s can be forensic evidence, witnesses or in some cases of abuse, other survivors who have also reported against the same abuser.

If the Procurator Fiscal does not have enough evidence to proceed the case is dropped. This is not your fault and it does not necessarily mean that you haven’t been believed.

It is not uncommon for this to happen.  Often the legal process can take quite a long time and unfortunately you are not automatically kept informed.  If the accused was held in custody the case would have to be heard in court within 140 days.  The accused is often released on bail unless he has previous convictions for sexual violence, is on parole or is wanted for another crime.  If the accused has been released on bail the case should be heard within 1 year, although this can be extended to 18 months at the judges discretion.

If you want to check what is happening with the case you should contact your local Victim Information and Advice.  The local VIA office should make contact with you after the accused’s first appearance in court.

If your case does go to court then you will be able to access support from the    Witness Service who can organise a pre-court visit and whop can support you on the day.

Once a case has made it to court it is taken forward by the Crown rather than by you.  This is because of the seriousness of the crime and its impact on public safety.  However, it means that you will be a witness in the trial and that as such you will not have a lawyer.  An Advocate Depute will speak on behalf of the Crown against the accused.

When giving evidence at the trial you will be asked to give your name, age,   address and occupation.  If you do not wish to state your address you can ask the judge’s permission to write it down or give it as care off the police station you reported to.  You will then be asked in detail about the attack itself and will be questioned by the Advocate Depute and the accussed’s defence Advocate.  You can request, in advance, that the court be cleared when you give evidence, this means that the public benches are cleared but that court officals are still present (about 27 people).

The Sexual Offences Act means that he can not conduct his own defence, and   although he will be present in court throughout, he will not be able to ask you any questions. 

After giving evidence you may either be asked to stay in court or excused from further attendance.  If you wish, you can stay in the public benches to watch the rest of the trial, or if you leave court, VIA will contact you to let you know the verdict.

The RCS Helpline is open daily between 6pm and 12 midnight offering initial and crisis support, information and signposting to follow on services.  Support is free and confidential regardless of when in your life the sexual violence happened. RCS Helpline can help put you in touch with local Rape Crisis Centres or follow on agencies, for ongoing support if this would be helpful.  The RCS Helpline also offers support and information to friends, relatives and workers of survivors of sexual violence.

The RCS Helpline has a freephone number which is also accessible to minicom users.  We are also able to access Language Line for language interpretation.

Freephone RCS Helpline: 08088 01 03 02

Confidentiality within RCS is ensured.  We will not tell anyone that we have supported you, our telephone number will not show up on any phone bills and we do not hold personal information e.g. contact details of callers. 

The only exception to this is where we are aware that a child or young person under the age of 16 is being abused.  Workers have been trained in confidentiality and child protection, they will advise callers of our obligation by law to discuss this with other agencies if contact details are given to us by the caller. 

We will usually signpost you to local agencies for follow on support, where preferred we are able to make a direct referral.  If we are making a referral we will always check with you what information we can pass on and get your permission to do so.  Any contact details that we have for this purpose will be shredded once the referral is made.

If you are calling from a mobile phone, please be aware that any calls you make remain on the list of calls logged by the phone until you delete them.