We strongly encourage you to seek medical attention as soon as possible following a sexual assault. Even if you don’t seem to be physically injured, getting medication attention is important for two reasons:
- To receive treatment for:
- internal and external injuries
- sexually transmitted infections (STI’s)
- emergency contraception (Plan B) to prevent pregnancy
- reducing the risk of HIV
- To collect medical evidence and document injuries in case someone wants to involve the police at some point. This is not a decision that needs to be made when attending to receive medical care.
Within the first 10 days following a sexual assault
There are nurses with specialized training called Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) who work at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. They can provide medical care and collect extra evidence within the first 10 days after an assault. However, someone who has not yet gone through puberty must be seen within 3 days following the assault.
It can be very scary to access medical care. When people arrive at the hospital and say that they have been sexually assaulted, a nurse will ask whether they would like someone from Klinic to come to the hospital to be with them. Klinic staff can offer emotional and practical support, be present during the medical exam (if desired) and help people understand their options.
To learn more about seeing a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, go to: https://hsc.mb.ca/emergency/
You can also receive medical care from your doctor, walk-in clinics, other hospital emergency/urgent care departments and STI clinics.
Learn more about the Sexual Assault Response Team here:
Helpful Links:
Winnipeg Police Service – Sex Crimes, Child Abuse, Victims Services
Winnipeg Police Service – Victim Services
Provincial Victim Services
Trauma Recovery
SANE program
Teen Clinic
STI Testing