What happens next?
If you are in immediate danger, you should phone Triple Zero (000) or go to the emergency department at your local hospital.
Your safety and health is the most important thing, so make sure you get yourself to a safe place as soon as possible. This might be the hospital, a police station, or another safe place. You might want to go by yourself, or you might be more comfortable being with a person you trust.
Your body, hair and clothes might contain important information known as evidence about what has happened to you. If you are thinking of reporting the sexual violence to police, you should be aware the police or hospital might want to talk to you about what happened and collect evidence from you. It might be uncomfortable to not change or clean your clothes, to comb your hair, or to shower or clean up. If you have done some of these things, that’s ok – the hospital or police will still collect as much evidence as they can.
You have a choice about where you can go to seek help:
- a hospital emergency department
- a doctor, such as your GP
- Police
- the Sexual Assault Helpline
- someone you trust or a counsellor.
If you want to discuss these options, you can call the Sexual Assault Helpline on 1800 010 120 and ask questions or talk through the options to help you make your decision.
If you don’t have Medicare, you can still access medical care.
From 28 June 2024, victim-survivors of sexual violence and / or domestic and family violence who are not eligible for Medicare can access free health care in relation to an experience of sexual violence or domestic and family violence. Further information is available on the Queensland Health website.