4.3.1 The Importance of the Medical Exam

Sexual assault is one of the least reported crimes. Most sexual assaults that are reported are not successfully prosecuted.

There are many reasons why cases are not successfully prosecuted through the system.

For example, a survivor may not want to go through the court process, may decide to stop an active court process or the police may not be able to gather enough evidence to make a strong case.

As advocates, we can’t control whether survivors choose to report or prosecute sexual assault.

We can, however, control how evidence is collected at the health center and make sure that evidence is gathered in the best way possible to make the strongest case possible to take to court.

Even if the survivor is not sure if they want to bring legal action against the perpetrator, they may choose to have the examination because they will then have better evidence to support making the choice later.

In many cases, a survivor will not be able to pay for medical treatment after a sexual assault. Because sexual assault is a crime, many health centers do not charge survivors for receiving treatment.

It’s helpful to understand the situation at the health center you are volunteering at, such as if the survivor is required to pay; there may be something you or your organization can assist with in various ways.