What should I do if I have been sexually assaulted by my spouse?

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When a man attacks a woman on the street and performs an unwanted, sexual act on her, it is considered sexual assault. However, if a woman is forced into submitting to sexual acts by her husband, it is still classified as sexual assault. While it is a confusing, horrendous time in your life if you have been sexually assault by your spouse, you are not alone.

The following are some recommendations of how to get the emotional and practical help you may need after being sexually assaulted by your spouse:

  • After the assault, you should get to a safe place. This could include someone’s home, the closest hospital, or a police station.
  • For immediate assistance and protection from the police, you can call 911. There are also a number of national hotlines you can call to discuss different options to report the assault.
  • To check for injury, prevent pregnancy, and prevent sexually transmitted infections, you should go to your local hospital emergency room for immediate medical care. By going to the emergency room, you can also receive counseling and they can obtain evidence of the sexual assault. Simply by collecting evidence does not require you to press charges or even make a police report; collecting evidence allows you the option to make a police report and press charges in the future if you so choose. In order to collect evidence, it is important to try to avoid showering, changing your clothes, urinating, or combing your hair before you go to the hospital. If you are concerned about the cost of the hospital visit, many states have a crime victim compensation program that can help with ongoing counseling and medical expenses related to the sexual assault.
  • Speak with someone you trust that will be able to assist and support you.
  • Call a rape crisis program for hospital accompaniment, counseling, crisis intervention, support groups, and for general information. You are not alone in this situation and you deserve to get help to be able to move on with your life.

The final step should be to call a sexual assault lawyer Washington, DC offers. By contacting a personal injury law firm, they will work to ensure your spouse is not able to hurt you or anyone else again. They will stand by your side every step of the way through this difficult process. You deserve justice for having to go through this and we will be with you to try to ensure that happens.

 

 

Thank you to our friends and contributors at Cohen & Cohen, P.C. for their insight into personal injury claims and sexual assaults from a spouse.