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If you have been sexually assaulted, you may find the following steps
helpful:
- First, remember that what happened to you is not your fault. You
did not cause an assault, and you did not deserve it. You have a right
to be believed and to receive appropriate medical, emotional, and legal
support if you choose such options.
- Story County SART services are available to all survivors of sexual
assault ages 13 and older, even if the assault occurred several days,
or even years, earlier. Services are free and confidential. Call Sexual
Assault Support Services at 29-ALERT (292-5378) to learn more about
your options.
- Do not change anything at the location where the assault occurred.
- Do not eat, drink, shower, douche, brush your teeth, go to the
bathroom, or change your clothes. These activities could destroy physical
evidence
that may be helpful if you later decide to pursue legal action.
- Consider contacting Story County SART or one of its individual
agencies. These agencies can provide you with medical attention, emotional
support,
and law enforcement services and can help you explore your various
options.
- Even if you don’t want to file a police report, consider receiving
medical attention. A SART nurse will help ensure that you are healthy,
provide options to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections,
and collect valuable evidence that may be useful in the future, even
if you are unsure about pursuing legal action now. Physical evidence
can only be collected for up to 72 hours after an assault, but a survivor
has ten years to decide if she/he wants to pursue a criminal case (or
ten years after one’s 18th birthday if the assault took place
prior to the survivor turning 18).
- The medical exam and follow up visits are free in Iowa, even if
you do not report the assault to the police.
- If you want to talk with an ACCESS volunteer about your experience
or your options (which include the SART process), call Sexual Assault
Support Services at 29-ALERT (292-5378). This volunteer can activate
SART.
- If you wish to immediately activate SART, you can reach a dispatcher
at 296-6397.
HOW SART HELPS
Online Reporting
You have the option to report a sexual assault online. The information
requested in the report helps us track cases in our community. The report
may also help expand your options in the future, particularly if you later
decide to pursue criminal charges. The information you provide will be
kept confidential.
FILE
AN ONLINE REPORT
Call 29-ALERT (292-5378) to speak with an ACCESS volunteer about your options.
Call 296-6397 to immediately activate Story County SART
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