Options for Survivors
Everyone’s healing journey after experiencing sexual violence looks different, and there are a range of options survivors can choose from to support their journey in a way that best suits them.
ACC
ACC provides support for anyone in Aotearoa who has experienced sexual violence in New Zealand, or if you are a resident or citizen, they can provide support for sexual abuse and assault that has happened while travelling overseas.
It doesn’t matter if it happened recently, or a long time ago.
If you, or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse or assault, and you would like to explore getting funded therapy or other supports through ACC, you can go to findsupport.co.nz to find support options for you. Once you have found someone, they will lodge an ACC claim for you.
Alternatively, you can talk to your GP or another health provider to lodge a claim for you.
Specialist support
If you choose to go through ACC, you can also seek support with other specialists who can help you with different issues or challenges you might be facing.
The specialists ACC can support you to see include:
Social workers
Physiotherapists
Occupational therapists
Speech language therapists
Dieticians
ACC can also support people with an accepted claim to access Rongoā Māori, a traditional Māori healing that offers different techniques.
Therapy & counselling
You can access funded therapy through ACC, or through organisations like HELP Auckland.
Talk therapy, counselling, and psychotherapy can be a helpful tool to support the healing process. It can provide a safe environment and support to help make sense of feelings and experiences. This can also be a space to develop new skills to help heal and empower.
Alternate therapies
There are a range of alternate therapies which have been found to support survivors in their journey of healing and reconnecting with themselves after sexual abuse or assault.
Some of these therapies include yoga, dance, art therapy, and equine therapy (with horses).
If you are interested in an alternate therapy option, you can talk to ACC about what is available in your area, or go to findsupport.co.nz to explore options near you.
Crisis support & helplines
Helplines and crisis support can be a great option for short term support like if you are struggling with triggers or flashbacks, or if you are needing help navigating your options and how to get long term support.
It doesn’t matter if it happened recently, or a long time ago, you can always reach out to a crisis support helpline.
Some options include:
HELP Auckland - 0800 623 1700
Whāngarei Rape Crisis - 0800 883 300
Wellington HELP - 0800 367 4357
Aviva (Canterbury) - 0800 28 48 26
Safe to Talk - 0800 044 334
Reporting to police
Some survivors can find reporting their assault to the police helpful for their healing journey. This can help to feel safer, and help to seek justice if that is something you are wanting. You can report an assault to police whether it just happened, or if it happened a long time ago.
If it has just happened, you can call 111 and ask for police. The police recommend in this case that you avoid showering, using the bathroom, not throwing away your clothes, and not tidying - these are all things which can provide evidence if you choose to go down that route.
If it happened a few days or more ago, the police recommend calling or visiting your nearest station.
Court support
Some survivors may choose to go to police, and depending on the situation, may end up going to court. In this case, you can access a Court Support Advocate to help you through the process.
A Court Support Advocate is there to provide emotional support, advocate for you throughout the process, and help you to prepare for trial, understand the court system, and develop strategies to manage how you might be feeling throughout the process.
You can reach out to services like HELP Auckland for court support, or ask the police dealing with your case to refer you to your local Court Support service.
Medical
For some, a medical exam can be a part of reporting to police, but you can also get one without involving police. This might be to get things checked and feel reassured about your health, and assess any potential injuries, or if you haven’t decided if you want to report yet, but you’d like a medical exam done just in case, that can be arranged too.
The Sexual Abuse Assessment and Treatment Service (SAATS) is a specialist sexual assault medical service available to people in New Zealand of all ages and genders who may have experienced sexual assault. They are located across the country, and are completely free of charge.
You can access this medical support by going to the SAATS website, going to the hospital or your local 24-hour urgent care, or you can ask the police, your GP, or a Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa or Sexual Health Clinic to refer you.
Restorative justice
Restorative justice is an option some survivors might like to pursue, where they don’t follow the traditional justice system of police and courts, but they still get to seek a type of justice. This involves the person who abused or assaulted them taking responsibility for their actions, and actively engaging in the process too.
Restorative justice gives the opportunity for people who have experienced harm, and those who have caused that harm, to come together. It involves talking about what happened, why it happened, the direct effects and ripple effects, and collectively looking at how things can be addressed.
Project Restore is the national provider of restorative justice services for cases of sexual violence in Aotearoa.
Sometimes it can be hard to know what to do, and what might help after experiencing something like sexual violence. There are options out there for you though, and people who can help you to navigate those options too. It's important to remember as well, that you don't have to take up any of these things unless you want to - your journey and what you choose to do, or not do, is valid no matter what 💜
