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IF YOU HAVE BEEN RAPED OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED, FOLLOW
THESE GUIDELINES:
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1. Do NOT change clothes, bathe, shower, eat, drink, or go to the
bathroom before going to the hospital. Doing these things could tamper
with important evidence.
2. Go directly to the hospital. At the hospital, a Sexual Assault
Nurse Examiner (SANE) and a medical advocate from New Bedford Women's
Center will be called to come in.
It is very important that you seek medical treatment for the evaluation of
potentially traumatic injuries, potential exposure to sexually transmitted
diseases, and the possible risk of pregnancy as a result of the assault.
Even if the assault occurred more than 3 days ago you should go to the
hospital for a medical examination and any necessary treatment.
3. Call 911 to report the incident. The police can come to the
hospital to interview you while you are there. The police will not
be called by the hospital without your permission.
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Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive behavior in intimate
relationships whereby the behavior of another person is controlled
through humiliation, intimidation, fear, and often intentional
physical, emotional or sexual injury.
Motivated by power and control.
Domestic violence crosses all ethnic, socioeconomic, and age groups
and is also prevalent in same sex relationships.
Domestic violence is a pattern, not an argument every once in a while
or a bad mood after a bad day.
Domestic violence is characterized by a predictable cycle of behavior.
Women:
A woman is beaten in America every 15 seconds.
85-95% of all victims of domestic violence are female.
3 to 4 women each day are murdered in the U.S. by a male partner.
Domestic violence accounts for 30% of all homicide victims.
Men:
Men can be victims of abuse.
Children:
1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys are sexually abused.
Over 80% of abusive partners had themselves either been victims of child
abuse or had witnessed their mothers being abused.
40-60% of men who abuse women also abuse their children.
Children who witness are significantly more likely to have problems in
behavioral, physical, emotional, social and cognitive development.
Teenagers:
One in five high school students reports being physically or sexually
abused by a dating partner.
Elders:
Can be battered by adult children or caretakers.
Unable to defend themselves and financially dependent.
RAPE is defined under Massachusetts law by 3 elements:
1. Penetration of any orifice (mouth, vagina, anus) by any object (finger, tongue, penis, or foreign object)
2. Force or threatened force
3. Against the will of the victim
Rape includes situations in which penetration is accomplished
when the victim is unable to give consent, or is prevented from resisting,
due to being impaired, intoxicated, drugged, underage (16 in MA),
mentally challenged, unconscious, or asleep.
SEXUAL ASSAULT is more broadly defined as any sexual activity
that is forced or coerced.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN RAPED OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED, FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES:
1. Do NOT change clothes, bathe, shower, eat, drink, or go to the
bathroom before going to the hospital. Doing these things could tamper
with important evidence.
2. Go directly to the hospital. At the hospital, a Sexual Assault
Nurse Examiner (SANE) and a medical advocate from New Bedford Women's
Center will be called to come in.
It is very important that you seek medical treatment for the evaluation of
potentially traumatic injuries, potential exposure to sexually transmitted
diseases, and the possible risk of pregnancy as a result of the assault.
Even if the assault occurred more than 3 days ago you should go to the
hospital for a medical examination and any necessary treatment.
3. Call 911 to report the incident. The police can come to the
hospital to interview you while you are there. The police will not
be called by the hospital without your permission.
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What is Domestic Violence?