Developed by Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
If you are reading this, a person you care about has probably been a victim of sexual assault. Because you care about this person, you may experience feelings that are similar to those of the person assaulted. These feelings may include anger, shock, helplessness, grief and perhaps even guilt.
You will never know exactly how a victim feels about the assault, but you can listen and be a support person. Learn about the myths and facts so you can provide accurate information.
No one ever agrees to a sexual assault or asks for it. Responsibility for this crime rests only with the offender. It is a crime of violence, committed to degrade and humiliate another person; it is a crime of opportunity and access. Sexual assault is any sexual act a person is coerced or forced into without consent. It is an invasion of a person's physical and psychological well-being. It is an act of power and control expressed through sexual aggression. Offenders choose their victims without regard to gender, race, age, social class, reputation or physical appearance.
It is important to recognize that victims may suffer physical and emotional injuries. Victims also may face medical expenses, lost wages or other financial burdens resulting from the assault. Even when physical injuries heal, the emotional trauma of the assault may affect victims and those who care about them for the rest of their lives. This brochure will assist you in helping the victim cope with the trauma of sexual assault, as well as assist you with your own trauma related to the assault.
You may be asked to help the person you care about report the crime to law enforcement and/or accompany them to the hospital. Or, the person you care about may need to express feelings about their experience with the medical examination and law enforcement or the criminal justice process. Victims sometimes feel re-victimized by the legal system because of the complexities in prosecuting offenders. It may be important for you to understand that process to respond appropriately.
Because the crime is considered to have been committed against the state, victims become witnesses. Many victims have difficulty with this concept and may feel a loss of control over their own lives and the criminal justice process.
A sexual assault evidence kit (a uniform forensic evidence collection kit) is performed by medical personnel to collect evidence. The victim must agree, by signing a form, to allow law enforcement to process and use this for evidence. Although medical personnel who collect the evidence are well trained, the process may be uncomfortable for the victim. Support is important. If the victim agrees to the evidence being released to law enforcement, the cost of collecting the evidence will be assessed to the county. However, there may be other costs incurred at the hospital for medical treatment that are not considered part of the sexual assault evidence kit. If the victim has reported the crime to law enforcement, they may become eligible for Crime Victims' Compensation benefits that can help the victim pay for financial losses such as medical expenses, lost wages, counseling/therapy or other costs related to the sexual assault.
Law enforcement will need to ask questions of the victim. Some questions may be very difficult to answer and may not make sense at the time they are asked, but there is a reason for them. It is not unusual for law enforcement to visit with the victim numerous times during the course of an investigation. Once law enforcement has investigated and has been able to identify the offender, they will send the information to the prosecutor.
The prosecutor determines if there is enough evidence to move forward with prosecution. The system sometimes moves slowly. It sometimes seems to victims that just as they begin to feel okay, they are thrown back into the middle of their trauma because a court hearing or trial occurs. It is important for you as the helper to recognize how difficult these events may be for the victim. Sometimes victims find it very important to have information about the court case and proceedings. Most prosecutors have Victim Witness Coordinators in their offices who can help the victim get information about the criminal justice system.
Victims have a legal right to certain information about the case. For more information about victim rights call the Attorney General's Crime Victims' Information and Referral at 1-800-828-9745.
People who have been sexually assaulted have differing ways of coping, and they heal in different ways. There are three predictable phases of emotional responses to sexual assault and healing. The behaviors and extent of these phases differ for each victim. If these phases do not exactly describe the response of the person you are trying to support, it does not mean they were not a victim of a sexual assault; they may simply have a unique set of responses. Learning all you can about sexual assault increases your ability to help a victim work through these feelings.
Many times well-intentioned people do not have a good understanding of sexual assault and the trauma associated with it. In order to avoid re-victimizing the victim, we have provided you with two common examples of how easily a misunderstanding can occur:
Here are some suggestions for positive interaction with a sexual assault victim.
The healing process can be very intense, with emotions running from one extreme to another. Keeping your perspective will require that you take care of yourself. The following suggestions will allow you to stay as healthy as possible in your support role.
In an Emergency Call 911
For support, call one of the following:
Kansas Attorney General's Crime Victims' Rights Program and Crime Victims' Compensation board has information about victims' assistance programs administered out of the AG's office and application requirements for compensation from the state if you have been the victim of a violent crime.
This table lists the Kansas sexual and domestic violence programs alphabetically by city, services provided, program names and their HOTLINE phone numbers.
| CITY | SERVICES | KCSDV MEMBER PROGRAM | CRISIS HOTLINE NUMBER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Atchison | DV/SA | DoVES | 800-367-7075 or 913-367-0363 |
| 2. Dodge City | DV/SA | Crisis Center of Dodge City | 620-225-6510 |
| 3. El Dorado | DV/SA | Family Life Center of Butler County | 316-321-7104 or 800-8870-6967 |
| 4. Emporia | DV/SA | SOS, Inc. | 800-825-1295 or 620-342-1870 |
| 5. Garden City | DV/SA | Family Crisis Services | 620-275-5911 |
| 6. Great Bend | DV/SA | Family Crisis Center | 620-792-1885 or 866-792-1885 |
| 7. Hays | DV/SA | Northwest Kansas Domestic and Sexual Violence Services | 800-794-4624 or 785-625-3055 |
| 8. Hutchinson | DV/SA | Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Center
|
800-701-3630 or 620-663-2522 |
| 9. Iola | DV/SA | Hope Unlimited | 620-365-7566 |
| 10. Kansas City, KS | DV | El Centro, Inc. ¡Si Se Puede! | 913-281-1186 |
| 11. Kansas City, KS | DV | Friends of Yates Joyce Williams Center | 913-321-0951 |
| 12. Kansas City, MO | DV/SA | KCAVP | 816-561-0550 |
| 13. Kansas City, MO | SA | MOCSA | 816-531-0233 |
| 14. Lawrence | SA | GaDuGi Safe Center | 785-841-2345 |
| 15. Lawrence | DV | Women's Transitional Care Services | 800-770-3030 or 785-843-3333 |
| 16. Leavenworth | DV/SA | Alliance Against Family Violence | 800-644-1441 or 913-682-9131 |
| 17. Liberal | DV/SA | Liberal Area Rape Crisis and DV Services | 620-624-8818 |
| 18. Manhattan | DV/SA | The Crisis Center, Inc. | 800-727-2785 or 785-539-2785 |
| 19. Mayetta | DV/SA | Prairie Band Potawatomi Family Violence Prevention Program | 785-966-0173 |
| 20. Newton | DV/SA | Harvey County DV/SA Task Force | 800-487-0510 or 316-283-0350 |
| 21. Overland Park | DV/SA | Safehome | 888-432-9300 or 913-262-2868 |
| 22. Pittsburg | DV/SA | Crisis Resource Center of Southeast Kansas, Inc. | 800-794-9148 or 620-231-8251 |
| 23. Salina | DV/SA | Domestic Violence Assoc. of Central Kansas | 800-874-1499 or 785-827-5862 |
| 24. Topeka | DV/SA | YWCA Battered Women Task Force | 888-822-2983 or 785-354-7927 |
| 25. Ulysses | DV/SA | DoVES of Grant County | 620-356-2608 |
| 26. Wichita | DV | Catholic Charities Harbor House | 316-263-6000 |
| 27. Wichita | DV | StepStone | 316-265-1611 |
| 28. Wichita | SA | Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center | 316-263-3002 |
| 29. Wichita | DV | YWCA Women's Crisis Center | 316-267-7233 |
| 30. Winfield | DV/SA | Safe Homes, Inc. | 800-794-7672 or 620-221-4357 |
Funds have been provided through the Federal Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant awarded to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and administered by the Kansas Attorney General's Office.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of the Kansas Attorney General, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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