Emergency Medical Care After Rape: Improved Funding and a Longer Retention Period Strengthen Support for Victims

The “Emergency Medical Care After Rape” program offers affected women prompt and confidential care. This service has been successfully established in Offenbach since 2015. Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke, who has supported the project since his time as head of the social affairs department, sees it as a way to give victims back control: “Every person has the right to make decisions about their own body. Rape robs them of that right. The great strength of this project is that it offers the chance to receive medical care and preserve evidence so that victims can later decide whether they want to press charges against the perpetrator. I consider this absolutely essential, and I am making this stand quite deliberately—even as a man.”

Victims receive medical care at Sana-Klinikum and Ketteler Hospital. In addition to treating possible injuries and infections with sexually transmitted diseases, confidential and legally admissible evidence collection can also be performed upon request. The staff at both hospitals receives regular training in sensitive patient care, and victims receive professional and empathetic support.

The option to have evidence secured confidentially at first gives many victims time to make a decision and, at the same time, improves the chances of a later conviction of the perpetrator.

Dr. Inga Halwachs, the City of Offenbach’s Municipal Women’s and Equality Officer, explains: “After a rape, prompt medical care is urgently needed. At the same time, many women first need a safe space where they don’t have to decide immediately whether to file a criminal complaint. That is precisely why a low-threshold service is so important.”

Since rape is prosecuted ex officio, a report cannot be withdrawn once the police become aware of it. Pia Barth, a counselor at the Offenbach Women’s Crisis Hotline, explains: “For those affected, sexual violence means a loss of control. Being able to learn about the criminal proceedings and plan the next steps at their own pace gives girls and women back a sense of control and self-efficacy.”

At the counseling center’s Women’s Emergency Hotline, survivors receive information on possible legal steps as well as psychosocial support.

Confidential evidence collection is only possible within 72 hours of the assault. That is why it is important to inform the public about this service. Family members, friends, or acquaintances can then quickly inform victims about the option of confidential medical care.

For this reason, “Emergency Medical Care After Rape” is once again being advertised on Offenbach city buses this year. The campaign is funded with support from Ketteler Hospital, Sana Clinic, and the Offenbach Women’s Office.

“Sexual violence must not be a taboo subject. It is our social responsibility to help and support those affected,” Schwenke concludes.