Help American Sexual Assault Victims Abroad

Amy contacted us via our crisis email in January after she was sexually assaulted in the Caribbean Islands. The assault had taken place the week before and she was already back in the USA. Amy was very traumatized and decided all she wanted to do was come home. After being home for a few days she started regretting not taking more action such as calling the police, getting a rape kit or pressing charges.

We assured Amy that she did what she needed to do at the time, which for her was to get to a safe place. This is a very reasonable response to a sexual assault abroad and very common for Americans to want to get home as soon as possible.

We advised Amy to go to the doctor for a checkup to see if she was given an STD by the perpetrator and we also referred her to a rape crisis center in her town so she could receive services and get counseling.

We sent her the information for the relevant American Embassy so she could report the sexual assault to them, as well as the protocol for reporting the sexual assault to the local police in the country of the assault.

She didn't know the identity of her perpetrator, but after she got home and began to look more carefully at her vacation photos, she noticed he was in the background in two photos. Apparently, he had been watching her. She sent the photos to the police in the foreign country.

Thankfully Amy is doing well. She is receiving counseling, and she did not get pregnant or get an STD. She appreciates the support we have given her and hopes in the future to help others who have been sexually assaulted abroad.

We would not be able to support American sexual assault victims abroad without your support!

Thank you from the Pathway's Team