Rape & Sexual Assault

Any sexual activity, irrespective of consent with a girl or a boy below the age of 18, constitutes statutory rape. Sexual assault involves a perpetrator coercing or physically forcing a sexual act or non-consensual touching.

In Cases of Rape and Sexual Assault

Preserve evidence

It is important to preserve the evidence, so go to the nearest hospital for a medical check-up immediately. Do not have a shower or change any of your clothes, not even your sanitary napkin.

Report the crime

You have a choice not to report the crime, but if you want justice and the offender to be punished, you have to act fast.

See a doctor

A registered doctor at a private hospital is bound by law to treat you and collect the evidence, so you do not need to go only to a public hospital.

Register a complaint

You can go to a public hospital right after the incident to have the police record your statement and take the evidence. You can also register your complaint at the nearest police station. They will record all the information of the incident and send you for a medical examination.

If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, you are entitled to legal rights protected in the The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. This Act recognizes certain additional acts as offences and has expanded the definition of rape to include acts beyond vaginal penetration. Lack of physical resistance is immaterial for constituting an offence. The law states that a woman’s consent must be unequivocally communicated for it to not constitute rape.