Would you know what to do if...

  ...you are sexually assaulted?


Get to a safe place

  • Call a friend, a family member, or someone else you trust and ask her or him to stay with you.

  • Don't blame yourself for the attack - no one asks for violence and no one deserves it. If you are confused about what happened, you should call one of the helplines listed below and talk to a professional.

  • Anyone can be the victim of sexual assault or rape, regardless of age or gender.


Get immediate medical attention

Even if you think that you do not have any physical injuries, you may still want to be examined for the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. If you are female, you can prevent pregnancy by taking emergency contraceptive pills within 72 hours of the assault.


Notify the police

If the incident occurred in the last 72 hours (three days):

  • If you want to report the crime, notify the police immediately on 000 or call one of the helplines listed below. Reporting the crime can help you regain a sense of personal power and control. It can also help to ensure the safety of other potential victims.

  • If you think you were drugged or consumed a sedative-like substance, ask the medical provider to take a urine sample. Date rape drugs like GHB and Rohypnol are more likely to be detected in urine than in blood. If you still have remnants of the drink, save them for analysis.

  • Preserve all physical evidence. Do not bathe, shower, douche, eat, drink, smoke, or urinate, if possible. Save all of the clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault. Place each item of clothing in a separate paper bag. Do not use plastic bags. Do not disturb anything in the area where the assault occurred. Evidence can be collected at an emergency room and you can decide later whether or not you want to press criminal charges.

  • Write down as much as you can remember about the circumstances of the assault, including a description of your attacker, her or his identity if you know it, and the use of threats or force.


Women:    Sexual Assault Helpline

Ph: 1800 010 120 (free call)

(Monday to Friday 6.00pm - 8.00am; weekends and public holidays 24 hours)

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/violence/sexual/services.asp 


Men:        Men's Sexual Assault Service

Ph: 0411 220 055 (24 hours)

Ph: 07 3227 8666 (9.00am - 5.00pm)


Children:    Crisis Care (child sexual abuse service)

Ph: 1800 177 135 (24 hours - free call)

Kids Help Line Ph: 1800 551 800(24 hours - free call)

http://www.kidshelp.com.au 


Lifeline Counselling

Ph: 13 1114 (24 hours)


Queensland Health Sexual Assault Services

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/violence/sexual/services.asp

Lists local phone numbers of sexual assault services.


Queensland Police

http://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/personalSafety/dv/rasa.htm

Contains information helping you to understand facts and myths about sexual assault, and what to do if you are sexually assaulted or raped.


Sexual Assault Survivor's Guide

http://www.tcnj.edu/~sa/antiviolence/sasg.html#6

This American site has more information about consent, your rights, and what to do if you are sexually assaulted or raped.

 

...a fire starts in your home?

  http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/watch/er/fire_safety.html


Prevention:

  • Ask mum or dad to get a smoke alarm if there isn't already one in your house.

  • Stay away from fireplaces and candles.

  • Don't play with matches and lighters.

  • Don't leave things like heaters, ovens, or electrical appliances on unattended. 

  • Know your way out – How many exits are there? How do you get to them from your room?
  • It's possible one way out could be blocked by fire or smoke, so you'll want to know where other ones are. And if you live in an apartment building, you'll want to know the best way to the stairwell or other emergency exits. Ask your parents to show you the best way to get out of the house safely if there's a fire.


If a fire starts:

  • Don't try and put the fire out yourself, no matter how small!

  • Don't worry about trying to take your things with you, you won't have time! Never go back into a burning house once you're outside. If there are other people still inside, run for help, use the neighbour's phone to call 000.

  • If you're in a room with the door closed when a fire starts in another part of the house you need to check it's safe to open the door:

  • Check to see if there's heat or smoke coming in the cracks around the door. If you see smoke coming under the door - don't open the door!

  • If the door or doorknob is hot or very warm - don't open the door!

  • If the doorknob feels cool, and you can't see any smoke around the door, you can open the door very carefully and slowly. When you open the door, if you feel a burst of heat, or smoke pours into the room, quickly shut the door and make sure it is really closed. If there's no smoke or heat when you open the door, go toward your escape route exit.

  • Stay low - if you can see smoke, drop to your hands and knees and crawl out. Smoke rises to the ceiling so the lower you are the less you'll breathe in. Smoke is as dangerous as the flames - if you breathe it in it can make you lose consciousness.


If you can't find a way out:

  • Yell for help, if there's a phone call 000 and tell them where you are and that there's a fire.

  • Don't hide under the bed - it will make it hard for firefighters to find you.

  • Hold a piece of clothing or a towel over your nose and mouth to stop you breathing in smoke, if you can wet the cloth it will work better.

  • If there's a window, open it and stand close.


If your clothes catch fire:

  • Stop Drop and Roll - stop, cover your face with your hands and roll, this smothers the flames; if you run it will make the flames bigger.

 

...somebody picks a fight with you?    

 http://www.doj.state.wi.us/kidspage/quiz/safety.htm

  • It takes courage to walk away from a fight.

  • Take a step back.

  • Get the facts straight.

  • Be willing to listen.

  • Don't be afraid to admit when you're wrong.

  • Discuss ways to solve the problem.

  • Remember - fights are not answers to solving a problem.

  • If you aren't confident about your ability to defend yourself or you're worried about bullying, you may want to learn a martial art, especially the moves that will humiliate rather than injure your attacker - this is just as likely to put them off and less likely to get you into trouble.


 

...you get a snake bite?    

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=288&id=1647


Be prepared

  • Australia is home to many of the most poisonous snakes in the world.

  • Make sure that you carry a roll of crepe bandage with you when you go for a walk through the bush or long grass.

  • Taking a mobile phone can also be very useful, as you can call for help if you need it. (Sometimes mobile phones do not work in the bush.)


Keep yourself safe    

  • Snakes will usually try to get out of your way if you let them know you are coming (you could try making thumping noises with your feet). The snake will be able to feel the vibration that thumping feet cause.

  • Do not try to touch or kill snakes that you see in the bush or around the house.

  • Wear shoes that cover your feet (eg joggers) and long pants when walking through grass or the bush.

  • If you see a snake stay away from it, even if it is a really little one. Tell the nearest adult especially if the snake is near to your school or home.


First aid

  • If your phone works, call 000 (Australia) and ask for the ambulance service. They will be able to tell you what to do if you don't remember it all. They will also be able to start getting help to you.

  • Treat all possible snake bites the same way. You cannot know if it is truly a bite or not. You won't know if the snake is dangerous until later. A snake bite isn't always painful, even if there is venom.

  • Don't wash the bite area. If there is some venom on the skin this can help doctors find out which snake caused the bite, so that they can give anti-venom to help fight the effect of the snake poison.

  • Snake venom travels slowly through the body and first aid treatment is to try to slow this down even more until help arrives.

  • Wrap a bandage firmly around the place where the bite is. This should not be so tight that the blood supply is cut off. If the bandage hurts it's too tight.

  • If the bite was on an arm or leg, wrap another bandage over as much of the limb as possible starting from the fingers or toes.

  • Do not take this bandage off until you reach a doctor or hospital.

  • Stop the person from using the arm or leg by putting on a splint (this can be a long stick).

  • It's very important to stay calm. Poison spreads faster if the heart beats faster, or if you run around or scream. Even talking too much can make it worse. Keep the injured person still.


Get help. The faster the better.

  • If you need to go somewhere to get help, leave the person where he/she is, or:

  • If there are at least two other people, you could try to carry the person to where help is.

  • Don't make the bitten person walk.

  • Remember even though there are lots of poisonous snakes in Australia it is very rare for a person to die from a snake bite now.


Some things NOT to do

  • Do not wait to see if the bite causes any problems, always treat it straight away.

  • Do not cut, wash or suck the bite.

  • Do not use ice on the bite. It will not be helpful.

  • Do not try to catch the snake. Other people might get bitten too!

  • Do not waste time trying to identify the snake, even experts have trouble working out what snake it is and whether it might be poisonous.