The Unspoken Aftermath: Sexual Assault & Forensic Exams

Unfortunately, experiencing an assault of any kind is something that a lot of the general population can relate to. Whether it be a sexual assault, domestic violence, or verbal abuse, there is an unspoken aftermath of these situations that a lot of people don’t talk about in fear of the ‘taboo’ of theses subjects. Dancing around these topics doesn't stop them from happening. While they can be hard to talk about of course, it is important to stay educated if anything ever did happen to you. If anything has, please know it is not your fault, you're not alone, and you will get through this. If you need more resources or someone to talk to, please contact:

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) 

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

The aftermath of sexual assault can sometimes be just as harmful as the actual assault. There are a lot of things regarding this that are not talked about. One of the most surprising things to learn about the aftermath is the reality of forensic exams, or rape kits. Forensic exams are when a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner assesses your injuries after your assault, and documents the events and collects evidence. This seems simple enough. However, there are a number of misconceptions about this. 

Number one is the urgency of these exams. It is very important for the DNA analysis that the Nurses collect the evidence within 72 hours of the assault. There are suggested steps to preserve forensic evidence of the exam. They are as follows; it is recommended that you don't shower, refrain from eating or drinking and smoking, don't brush your teeth or use mouthwash, do not urinate or defecate or wash your hands. This is very important information that is unknown most of the time. Sometimes, there are situations where victims of assault run into problems with timing because they believe they can go to any hospital and receive a forensic exam. While this would be nice, unfortunately, this is not the case. Many hospitals are not staffed with qualified medical providers who can administer these exams. There are about only 800-900 specialized sexual assault nurse examiner programs, which might seem fine. However, in comparison to the more than 6,000 hospitals that are in the United States … you can see the disparity. The main issue of this is partly because of the hospital being understaffed and the people who are qualified for these exams working there cannot be on call for 24 hours, waiting for a victim to possibly come in. 

Despite the lack of resources to get a rape kit, when people are able to get one, a lot of victims find themselves with costly bills. Even though the Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA) should protect victims through this by using government funding. However, to be able to utilize this funding, you have to meet all of their guidelines. The financial responsibility of paying for your own assault essentially can leave victims with even more of a burden on them.

In addition to the lack of resources for obtaining a rape kit along with the costly bills, when victims are able to actually receive one, it can sit on a shelf and never be processed. It is estimated there is well over 100,000 untested rape kits in America. If more of these kits were processed, there would be a significant amount of aging cases that could be solved and more victims that could get justice. 

All in all, survivors deserve more resources and coverage. There needs to be more of a conversation about all of the parts of this. We need to speak up and do whatever we can to help their healing process through their assault be more of a smooth process. 

If you are in need of resources or support, visit Survivors.org. We are here for you.

Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/sexual-health/after-sexual-assault-where-can-you-get-medical forensic-exam-n1240035 

https://centers.rainn.org/?_ga=2.152168063.710138923.1667957122-1686058466.1667957122 https://www.saneofbutlercounty.org/ifassaulted

Written By: Fall 2022 Intern Miranda Carroll