Have you experienced violence?

Have you been hit or otherwise physically injured?

Have you been strangled or had your throat grabbed?

Have you been pressured into having sex?

Support is available for you. 

Find out what support is available here. It is entirely your decision what to do next. Everything is voluntary.

What are the benefits of a medical examination following an incident of violence?

A medical examination following an incident of violence is always advisable, even if there are no visible injuries.

  • Injuries can be treated.
  • Your state of health can be assessed.
  • Following sexual violence, you can be protected against unwanted pregnancy.
  • Potential infections can be tested for and treated.
  • Injuries can be documented and evidence preserved, such as DNA traces or the clothing you were wearing.

Please get examined and treated at a hospital or medical practice as soon as possible. Even if there are no visible injuries at first, bruises and other marks may become more apparent over the next 24 to 48 hours, and can then be documented.

You have the right to a medical examination and to have your injuries documented without the police being notified. Doctors are bound by medical confidentiality. You may pause or stop the examination at any time.

Preserving evidence without involving the police?

You can have evidence collected and injuries documented without involving the police. It is entirely up to you to decide whether and when to report the incident to the police. The doctor’s duty of confidentiality remains in full force.

You can find hospitals and medical practices that can preserve evidence and document injuries here.

Important after sexual violence

If possible:

  • do not shower or wash
  • do not change your clothes, or bring them in unwashed if you do change
  • bring tampons or any other potential evidence with you
  • visit a hospital or medical practice as soon as possible
  • call ahead if possible, and state that you have experienced violence
  • bring someone you trust with you.

Reporting rape or domestic violence

You can report the incident immediately.

Or later.

Or never. The choice is entirely yours.

You can file a report directly online via the Internetwache (online police portal) or call the relevant State Criminal Police Office (LKA 14) department on 030 / 4664 91 41 00.

What is it important to know?

  • Sexual assault, including rape, is an offence prosecuted ex officio. The police and the public prosecutor’s office are legally obligated to investigate once they become aware of it. A criminal report cannot be withdrawn.
  • Domestic violence covers various criminal offences, many of which are also prosecuted ex officio. In cases of simple assault, a formal criminal complaint is usually required and must be lodged within three months.

Reporting the offence can help protect you and establish clear boundaries.

However, criminal proceedings can also be stressful and do not always result in a conviction.

A counselling centre can offer free, confidential advice to help you make the right decision for you. If you wish, you can access psychosocial support during the proceedings to provide emotional guidance.

For most sexual offences, you do not have to cover the cost of psychosocial support during the legal proceedings yourself.

You can obtain further information about this from a counselling centre. A list of active psychosocial court supporters in Berlin is available here (scroll down to ‘P’).

Counselling in Berlin following violence

Counselling can help you process what you have experienced and find ways to cope with any emotional distress.

Counselling is:

  • anonymous if you wish
  • available regardless of whether you report the incident
  • accessible even long after the incident occurred.

Counsellors can also support you in deciding whether or not to report the incident to the police. You can find counselling centres and support services in Berlin here.

Abortion after violence

If you become pregnant as a result of sexual violence, you can have the pregnancy terminated on the basis of a “criminological indication.” This is possible up to 12 weeks after the incident and does not require filing a police report.

Contact pro familia Berlin regarding the indication and request an appointment with a doctor. The termination can then be performed, for example, at Familienplanungszentrum Balance (Family Planning Center) erfolgen.

If you do not wish to discuss the violence, you can still have an abortion without a indication up to 12 weeks after the incident, provided you received counseling. To do so, contact a pregnancy conflict counseling center, such as pro familia Berlin. 

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