₦airaland Forum

No lady should ever have to go through the trauma of being raped. Government and organizations around the world have condemned the act and imposed various punishment including long jail terms or even death on anyone who perpetrate this evil act. However, should a lady unfortunately get raped, what are the immediate action she should take?

Below we outline 5 steps to be taken;

1. Move to a safe place.
The first thing is to get to a safe place as soon as you can, don't remain at the same unsafe spot. You should immediately leave to a place where you feel safe, but if the hour of the day is late, then ensure you lock yourself in and make a call to a trusted person to come over ASAP, this takes us to the 2nd step.

2. Speak with a trusted person about what happened.
This is very important. If you cannot find anyone you trust 100%, then maybe you should talk to your parents, lawyer or doctor (except one of them was the culprit). The idea of talking to a trusted person is to ensure the trauma is reduced. Talking can help a great deal, that is why you should be talking to the right person, someone who can advice you and encourage you, NOT someone who in the nearest future would expose you and betray your trust. This person should also be ready to speak for you in-case of an investigation; they are normally referred to as "The First Contact"

3. Decide whether to report & Preserve evidence.
Before you wash your body, you should consider preserving the evidence of rape, this is the first physical evidence of what you just went through, preserving evidence also involves keeping your clothes as they might contain blood stains, saliva, semen stain or hair - all these can be used as evidence against the suspect.
The next step is to report the incidence to the police and ensure the police takes your statement. The officer on duty should take you to a health center; you can also report to state and federal ministries and special agencies set up for rape victims. The doctor's reports could aid investigation and conviction of the suspect; such reports include forensic examination.

4. Prevent HIV & sexually transmitted Diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancies.
We earlier spoke about the doctor's forensic examination, these reports also aids treatment of the victim from unwanted pregnancies and STIs. The doctor will give you the morning-after pill which prevents victim getting pregnant and various antibiotics which should prevent possible infections like sexually transmitted infections, you should also undergo HIV test and anti-retro viral treatment for 30 days to prevent contracting HIV; this is a precautionary measure known as PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis).

5. Get counseling to help you recover from the trauma.
There are many organizations set up, that offer free counseling to victims of rape. (check your local authorities' offices for details).

The process of going through court case and or recovering can break you down, this gets worse if you turn out pregnant or infected with STD.
The guardian / counselor ensures your well being and survival in those trying times.


Don't keep mute - Report rape cases to your local police or authorities. Help stop rapist.


source: http://m.af1234.com/Af1234/details/5-practical-steps-to-take-if-you-are-a-victim-of-rape

Nice write up. What about what to do to prevent been a victim.

Say no to crime.
also read related article: http://m.af1234.com/Af1234/details/6-deadly-words-commonly-used-by-women

rape victims hardly come forward

cc: lalasticlala

edimalo:
rape victims hardly come forward

cc: lalasticlala

true but we have to encourage them to speak out and end this menace... it is evil..