Alliance: General Information
General Information
If You Have Been Raped
If you do not have visible physical injuries from theassault, friends and family may think you are okay. Many people do notunderstand the extent of trauma endured by rape and sexual assaultvictims. There may also be physical injuries that you can’t see. Thefollowing are some suggestions of how to get the practical andemotional support you need[[1] More...]
Hotlines
If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, call the Safe Horizon Rape Crisis/Sexual Abuse Hotline 212-227-3000 to find the nearest rape crisis program.[[2] More...]
Information for Survivors Who Want to Press Charges
Our laws do not differentiate between a known and unknown attacker. As a practical matter, the better the victim knew the perpetrator, especially when they had a previous consensual sexual relationship, the harder it is to prove lack of consent. It is even more difficult if the offender did not use force, threats or a weapon. Fortunately, there is a clear trend for the criminal justice system to prosecute more of these acquaintance sexual assault cases. Recently, the legal definition of lack of consent was amended to include any situation in which the victim "clearly expressed" that he or she was not consenting in the sex act and a "reasonable person" in the perpetrator’s situation "would have understood" the victim’s words and acts as "an expression of lack of consent."[[3] More...]
Information for Survivors Opting NOT to Press Charges
Survivors who do not wish to press charges have legal options and rights as well. The rape occurred whether or not there’s a charge filed or a prosecution, and you should still consider how you can take care of yourself and start to heal.[[4] More...]
New York State Laws
Penal Code section 130 governs the prosecution of sexual offenses in New York State. For many years, prosecutors, victim advocates and legislators argued that New York’s laws needed to be revamped. As a result of their efforts, the State legislature passed the Governor’s omnibus, 52-point bill, Sexual Assault Reform Act (SARA), which became law on February 1, 2001. Since that time, the law has been amended several times.[[5] More...]
[1]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/survivors_ifyou.html
[2]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/survivors_hotline.html
[3]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/survivors_press_charges.html
[4]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/survivors_no_charges.html
[5]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/survivors_legal.html
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