Frequently asked questions about getting in touch
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No. In fact, most people who access Rape Crisis services don’t talk to the police about what happened to them.
It is completely up to you whether or not you decide to report what happened to the police – and we will never put any pressure on you to do so.
In very rare cases, we might have to contact the police if we become aware that a child or adult at risk of harm is in danger. But, if that happens, we will always talk to you about it first.
If you do want to report to the police, you can talk to us about your rights and options.
❓ Adults at risk of harm are people over the age of 18 who have extra health or care needs that mean they can’t always protect themselves.
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We know how hard it can be to talk about sexual violence, abuse and harassment – or to say the words out loud.
If you get in touch, you can take your time and you don’t have to say anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. We will never put pressure on you to share anything that you aren't ready to talk about.
And if you do tell us, we will never judge you or blame you for what happened to you.
If you’re not ready to talk to someone face-to-face or over the phone, our national 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line offers an online chat service where you can message anonymously with one of our specialist operators.
Your local Rape Crisis centre might also have a helpline that offers online chat, email or text services. Find your nearest centre
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No. If you're not ready to talk to someone in person, you can contact our national 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line.
Once you've spoken to a member of our Support Line team (either over the phone or an online chat), you might then decide to contact your local Rape Crisis centre to access counselling or other face-to-face services. But it’s also totally fine if you don’t want to do that – either now or at any point in the future.
Your local Rape Crisis centre might also have its own helpline where you can get support over the phone, email, text or an online chat. Find your nearest centre
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It doesn’t matter if you don’t know exactly what you want to do next – we are here to talk you through your options.
All our staff and volunteers are trained in understanding sexual violence and abuse. They will be able to explain what services might be available for you and what you can do next. And, if you decide you don't want to do anything yet, that's also fine.
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At Rape Crisis, we are specialists in all types of sexual violence, abuse and harassment, not just rape. So, if anything sexual happened to you without your consent, we are here to support you.
If you're not sure what happened or if we can help, you can also talk to us. We can tell you about Rape Crisis support and services, and also let you know if we think that someone else might be able to help.
We will always listen to you and believe you – and we will never judge you for what you tell us.
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Never. It’s really common for victims and survivors to feel embarrassed or ashamed, or to blame themselves for what happened to them. But please try and remember that rape, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment and all other types of sexual violence are always the fault of the perpetrator (the person who carried them out). The victim or survivor is never to blame in any way.
We will always listen to you and believe you. And we will never, ever judge you.
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No matter if it happened months, years or even decades ago, we are still here to support you. Lots of victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse don’t tell anyone what happened to them or get support for a long time afterwards.
We also know that something that happened a long time ago can still have a big impact on your wellbeing and daily life. We don’t expect anyone to just ‘get over it’.
