That person might be your sister, mother, girlfriend, close friend, or someone you work with or spend time with socially. That person may be a woman, but that person may also be a man. When you know and care about a person who is a victim, it can also affect you. Below are some things for you to think about, and some tips for helping yourself and those you love. There are no typical victim reactions after sexual assault.
Every person is different.
It is important NOT to make judgments about the victim and how the assault occurred. Honesty is still the best policy when you are trying to decide how you can be helpful to the survivor. Feelings you both have about the assault, such as helplessness, anger, and fear are all a natural part of working through what happened. Don t feel guilty. You can t always be there to protect those you care about.