Rights and Options Available to Sexual Assault Victims (From National Symposium on Victimology - Proceedings, P 133-143, 1982, P N Grabosky, ed. - See NCJ-90209)

• NCJ Number: 90215
• Author(s): L Henry
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

The broad categories of sexual assault victims' rights are general rights, rights to care and treatment, and legal process rights, while options available can be categorized according to those available to extrafamilial sexual assault victims and those available to victims of intrafamilial sexual assault.

Abstract

General rights of victims include being treated with dignity, choosing whom to tell about the assault, privacy, being given full information about the options available to sexual assault victims, to have information translated into their language, and choosing their preferred course of action in dealing with the offense. Rights in the area of care and treatment include the choice of whether or not to have a medical examination and who might perform it, to choose the desired medical treatment and be informed of the medical consequences of their choice, to full information about their physical condition, and to have all medical records about the assault kept confidential. The legal-process rights of sexual assault victims include choosing whether or not to report the assault to the police, the right to have the complaint investigated, to have a supportive person of their choice present at the police interview, and to receive information about progress in the case as well as about the victim's involvement in any of the proceedings. Options available to extrafamilial sexual assault victims are to do nothing, seek a medical examination, seek police involvement, obtain counseling and advice, tell someone about the incident, and confronting the perpetrator. The options available to victims of intrafamilial assault are similar to those available to extrafamilial victims; however, greater family disruption can be expected, and the consequences of pursuing various options will probably have greater impact on the victim. Victims should be provided with information about their rights and options either through general public education or personal conversations with knowledgeable persons who have appropriate communication skills. Thirteen bibliographic entries are provided.