Since 2015, the “Immediate medical help after rape” in Offenbach has been successfully established in the cooperation network between the women’s office, SANA Klinikum, Ketteler Hospital and pro familia and guarantees medical assistance. Upon request, confidential evidence was secured without having to report it in advance.
Every rape is a medical emergency
“After being raped, women need help quickly and safely. The question of whether or not to report a crime often arises only after concerns about one’s health. But the traces need to be secured quickly so that they can be used by the police,” explains Dr Inga Halwachs, municipal officer for women and equal opportunities.
“Immediate medical care after rape gives affected women time to make a self-determined and informed decision regarding a police report without endangering their health or the safety of any traces relevant to the investigation. I would therefore like to thank everyone involved for their important work in this project,” explains Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke, for whom the project has been very important since his first day in office.
Both Offenbach clinics, the Sana Clinic Offenbach and the Ketteler Hospital, offer acute care. At the request of those affected, the traces are secured according to a standardized identification sheet from the Frankfurt women’s emergency hotline. The clinics have the necessary examination kits and documentation sheets for taking evidence which can be used in court with evidence secured. In principle, this questionnaire can be used for all rape victims, regardless of gender. After the examination, the materials are then stored for one year in the forensic medicine department in Frankfurt and evaluated by the police in the event of a subsequent complaint. If the woman does not decide to file a complaint, the materials will be destroyed after one year.
The majority opt for private forensic medicine
From the introduction of emergency aid in early 2015 until the end of 2021, 71 women and girls have been seen and treated under the aid programme. A further 13 women and girls had received medical treatment by the end of September 2022, with the majority opting for the collection of confidential evidence.
The number of women receiving acute medical care is steadily increasing and has increased significantly again in the last 1.5 years.
“In addition to acute medical care, the women and girls affected receive confidential psychosocial counseling and support from the Offenbach pro familia women’s emergency hotline to cope with the event and make a decision that suits them whether to report it or not,” she explains Counselor Pia Barth. The fact that more and more women can now be assisted by emergency medical assistance after being raped is also the result of ongoing public relations work. In addition to flyers and posters, the Sana Klinikum and the Ketteler hospital are giving the opportunity to put up posters on some buses of Offenbach’s public transport for another year with their donations of 1,000 euros each. Posters posted said, “If a sprained ankle is an emergency, what is rape?”
Only if the offer is known can it also be used in an emergency
Heike Pinne, head of the pro familia counseling centre, thanks the clinics for their support: “Only if the offer is known can it also be used in an emergency. Without donations from the clinics, we would not be able to finance the poster bus”.
“Sexual violence against children, women and men should simply have no place in our society,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Christian Jackisch, longtime chief physician of the women’s clinic at the Sana Klinikum in Offenbach, and senior physician Dr. Silvia Khodaverdi, who has been coordinating and training these measures at the Sana Klinikum in Offenbach for years, adds: “It is a reassuring feeling to be able to help where friendly and legally secure help is so important.”
Chief physician Dr. Lars Schröder of the Ketteler Hospital Women’s Clinic points out that girls and women need to be caught and professionally accompanied after such a drastic experience. “The girls and women affected can be sure that they will be helped in this stressful situation in our home.”
Furthermore, a new pro familia information site has been online for a year. Between www.hilfe-nach-sexueller-gewalt-offenbach.de Those affected can quickly find help and all important addresses and telephone numbers, the procedure for emergency medical assistance is explained. The site is now also available in English, Turkish, Romanian and Arabic. An easy-to-read version and printed Braille materials for the blind are in the works.
(Text: PM Municipality of Offenbach)
