Sexual Assault

Are You the Victim of a Sexual Crime?

 

If you have experienced sexual assault, intimate partner violence or stalking, you can meet confidentially with an advocate at the University of Louisville's PEACC Center to discuss your options.  PEACC staff are available during business hours in person, by phone or virtual meeting.  Contact us at 502-852-2663 or peacc@louisville.edu to connect with an advocate.  For services after hours, contact the Center for Women and Families’ 24 hour crisis line at 844-237-2331 or ULPD at 852-6111 in the case of an emergency.

 

Follow these directions:

Survivor's Handbook

What to do if you have been forced to have sex without consent:

  • Go someplace safe immediately.
  • Do not change your clothes, shower, rinse your mouth or use the bathroom.
  • Do not wash or destroy clothing or other physical evidence.
  • Go to the police station or the University of Louisville hospital right away. Making a police report assures that the rape evidence collection kit will be paid for but it does not mean that you must file charges against a perpetrator.
  • If you think you may have been given a "date rape drug" or any drug that has made you unconscious for a period of time - try to hold your urine until you have received medical attention. Many such drugs are only detected through urinalysis.
  • If you are a University of Louisville student/staff/faculty call the University of Louisville PEACC Program at 852-2663 for assistance.
  • You can call the Center for Women and Families Rape Crisis Program, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week to speak to an advocate: (502) 581-7200 or (877) 803-7577 (toll free).
  • If the assault took place on the University of Louisville Campus, you can call the Department of Public Safety, 852-6111.
  • If the assault took place off campus, you can call 911 and you will be asked if the crime occurred in Louisville or Jefferson County.
  • Go to University of Louisville Hospital for a physical exam immediately, so that you can be examined for physical injury, possible contact with sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. At this time, evidence can be retrieved from your body and/or clothing. (Even if the assault was not recent, it is important for all victims of sexual assault to be examined by a medical professional.)
  • If you have changed the clothes you were wearing at the time, bring them to the hospital in a paper, not plastic bag. If you are still wearing the clothes, bring a change of clothing to the hospital with you.
  • Evidence from a sexual assault can be held for up to 30 days by law enforcement, while you decide whether to prosecute.
  • Seeking medical attention does not mean you will be forced to talk to police or cooperate with criminal prosecution.
  • Write down all details of the incident soon afterward and store in a safe place.