4.3.2 Emergency Medical Advocacy

Once a healthcare provider starts the sexual assault evidence collection kit, specific steps need to be followed until the kit’s complete to safeguard the chain of evidence.

This process can be very challenging for the survivor. It’s important for them to have an advocate with them to navigate their needs and sensitivities.

If the healthcare provider has not been trained to understand the impact of sexual assault, they may perceive the survivor as being difficult or unhelpful, and not understand why.

Throughout the health center visit, the advocate is there to support and help the survivor, to answer questions, and to be a liaison between the survivor, the healthcare providers and the legal system.

Because of very normal trauma responses, the survivor may argue about not wanting to have certain parts of the medical exam done or may stop interacting and seem like they are not connected to what is happening.

At all times, the survivor’s consent must guide the process.

If they agree to something and then withdraw their consent later, it’s essential that their decisions be immediately observed and respected.

In addition to navigating consent, it’s important for you, as the advocate, to understand how sexual assault impacts survivors and provide emotional support for them.

If the healthcare provider has been trained, they are better able to help the survivor cope with the situation as well as to collect evidence in case the survivor, at that time or in the future, wants to prosecute in court.

In many countries and health centers, there are not yet healthcare providers who have been trained in how to appropriately interact with survivors or how to collect evidence to prosecute sexual assault.

Please note that when we use the term ‘untrained’, we are referring specifically to the healthcare provider’s training in how to interact with survivors and collect evidence in cases of sexual assault.