Reach out to friends, family, or help centers to create a system of emotional support for the coming steps.
Text, call, or meet up in person with trusted friends and family members one-on-one to ask for emotional support during your search for justice.
If you don’t feel comfortable sharing what happened to you with any friends or family members, know that RAINN and other advocates are available and ready to hear you out, confidentially.
Related texts, voicemails, emails, social media posts, first name, last name, address or location where it took place, anything helps.
Save all documents together in one file or folder that you can easily transfer to the police or trusted officials.
Create a Word/Pages document that details what the evidence is.
RAINN is the national sexual assault hotline. The mission of the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) is to carry out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. It is 100% free, confidential, and trusted by many.
Reaching out to RAINN can look like:
A phone call to 1-800-656-4673
Online chat via their website, RAINN.org
Know that the person you are speaking to is an advocate. They are here for you, ready to listen and help, free of judgment or prejudice.
RAINN, mentioned in the previous step, should be able to help you find a local help center in which you can go in person to share what happened to you and seek help.
Reaching out to a local help center is one way to go in seeking justice as they can help provide you with an in-person advocate who will go with you or for you to the police with your story.
Again, know that the person you are speaking to is an advocate. They
are here for you, ready to listen and help, free of judgment or prejudice.
Search for civil attorneys near you in a simple Google search. Visit their websites and leave a message stating that you are a survivor of sexual violence looking to seek justice for what happened to you. You don’t need to share the details just yet, you can wait to talk one-on-one with the attorney themselves.
You can ask specifically if the attorney has experience with your type of case or ask for recommendations on attorneys who do.
Finding a civil attorney can cost money upfront, but you can also find attorneys who will work on contingency (a fee if you win the case) or pro bono (for free).
Just as I would advise someone to continue to seek out a doctor who will listen to their concerns, I advise you to continue to seek out an attorney until one does listen and makes you feel heard. Do not get disheartened if the first one you contact cannot help.