Advertise With Us

What to Do if You Have Been Assaulted

You've Been Sexual Assaulted.  What Should You Do?

If you are raped or assaulted in your home country, going to the police is probably the first thing that you would do.  Unfortunately, this common sense step is not always a wise decision when you are abroad.  For whereas many countries treat rape very seriously, some countries adopt a more lenient approach to sexual assault.  In fact, some countries place the blame entirely on the woman's shoulders.   

  • What were you wearing? 

  • Why were you out that late?

  • You were obviously leading him on....  

As amazing as it sounds, questions like these are quite common in some parts of the world.  After being gang-raped by 7 men, a woman in Saudi Arabia was then sentenced to receive lashings and pay a hefty fine.  Her crime?  Putting herself in a situation where she could be raped by 7 men. 

Thankfully, Saudi Arabia is not one of the medical tourism destinations we feature on this site.  But this brutal example highlights the range of reactions one might encounter around the world.  Thus, your handling of sexual attacks and assaults might vary somewhat from country to country.   

The following list was been compiled from a variety of resources.  Feel free to modify it to suit your own needs.  If you follow our extensive safety tips, you hopefully will never have to use this list at all: 

Step 1: Get to Safety

Getting to safety is the most important thing any woman should do after an attack.  Depending on where you are, the safest places might be a hotel lobby, crowded restaurant, or office building.  If you have a choice between approaching men versus women, stick with the latter.  They will be more likely to help you.  Just make sure you remove yourself from danger as soon as possible. 

Step 2: Seek Medical Attention Immediately

Once you are safe, the next step involves seeking medical attention.  If the attack was severe enough, you might need to have an ambulance come to you.  But if you are mobile, try to get to a hospital as soon as possible.  For a list of global emergency numbers, please review this chart. 

Any injuries should be treated immediately.  And in cases of rape, make sure that the doctors and nurses are aware of the situation.  They may be able to retrieve DNA samples from your attacker(s).  But you cannot eat, drink, wash, or change clothes prior to your examination.  Doing any of the above could destroy important evidence. 

If you suspect that you were drugged prior to your attack, you should also request blood and urine tests from the hospital. 

Step 3: Contact Friends and Family

We strongly strongly recommend traveling with a close friend or relative.  Doing so is infinitely safer.  However, if you are alone, if your companion is unavailable, or if your companion was the attacker, you need to contact other family members or friends immediately.  Even from miles away your family can act as a resource.  They can help you contact the embassy, talk to doctors, and file police reports.  Most important, however, your family can offer support and understanding.  In the hours right after an attack you might experience a variety of emotions ranging from anger to helplessness to total confusion.  Your family can help you make better decisions as you get through these traumatic moments.   

You should also use this time to document exactly what happened.  It's not uncommon for details to become hazy in the hours after an attack.  By writing things down and talking them over with your family, you can make a more accurate record of the events.  Dates, times, places, people, clothes, voices....the more you can write down, the better.  All of these details can prove extremely useful when you talk to the embassy or police later on. 

If you don't have an international cell phone, you will either have to call collect or use any number of VoIP software programs through the Internet (Skype is one of the most popular applications).  Make sure you set up accounts and familiarize yourself with these types of programs before embarking on your trip.   

Step 4: Contact Your Embassy

Contact the closest consulate and relay what has happened.  In most cases, your embassy will refer you to the police in order to file an official report or make a complaint.  But in medical tourism destinations where rape is more of a “gray” area, your embassy might be able to advise you on how best to proceed.  Calling the police is not always recommended unfortunately. 

If your attack happens at night or over the weekend, the main embassy number might not be working. However, most consulates have emergency numbers available for off-peak hours.  Be sure to have such numbers with you at all times.  Click here for a list of embassies worldwide. 

Step 5: Contact the Police if Advisable

If your family and consulate deem it appropriate, contact the closest police station and explain everything in as much detail as possible.  If there are DNA samples from your medical treatment, be sure to include those. 

Whether or not you should terminate your medical vacation is ultimately a personal decision.  For a life-threatening treatment that you cannot afford or access back home, it might make more sense to remain abroad.  For more cosmetic procedures, perhaps it's better to go back home immediately.  Either way, you should consult with your family and seek whatever medical advice is necessary.