Many victims of sexual assault stay silent, believing nothing will be done if they come forward, fearing ridicule, gossip, exclusion, and even damage to their military careers. But if you've been sexually assaulted, it's important to act quickly. Seeking help and speaking out is the best way to ensure you receive the help you need to heal from the incident and prevent another incident from happening to someone else. Victims of Sexual Assault can report an incident and decide (if no one else knows about the incident) to just receive services and may not initiate an investigation.
Whether or not you're not sure your experience qualifies as sexual assault, follow the steps below just in case:
- Get to a safe location away from the perpetrator as soon as you can.
- If you need immediate medical treatment, or are in life-threatening danger, dial 911.
- Call the DoD Safe Helpline: 877-995-5247
102nd Intelligence Wing Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Helpline 508-274-6839
Also available as an additional resource:
DoD Safe Helpline is a crisis support service for adult Service members of the DoD community affected by sexual assault. Safe Helpline provides live, one-on-one expert advice and information worldwide. Available 24/7, users can "click, call or text" for anonymous and confidential support.
DoD SafeHelpline:
Call: 877-995-5247
Click: www.SafeHelpline.org
Text: Texting their location to 55-247 in the US and 202-470-5546 outside the U.S. allows users to receive automated contact info for the SARC at their installation.
If users want to access resources within the DoD, Safe Helpline personnel will connect you with the local Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)/On-call Victim Advocate (VA) or other military resources of their choosing. Should users not want to access DoD resources, they will be connected to one of 1,100 affiliated civilian sexual assault service providers.