It is usually not easy to talk about sexual violence and it is particularly difficult to speak about a personally experienced sexual assault. Who can you trust? Who will react supportive and understanding towards you? Maybe you feel ashamed and think it was your own fault. Maybe the memories of the assault repeat themselves in your mind over and over again and you feel like there is nothing you can do about it?

We can help you! In individual consultations, together we will find ways to help you cope with the difficulties caused by your experience. We will support you to regain control over your own life, even if the violent experience happened to you a long time ago.

We offer psycho-social counseling for

• women and girls from the age of 14, who have experienced or averted sexual violence
• family members, friends, partners, colleagues etc.
• teachers, doctors, social workers, care workers, therapists etc.

Our offer contains…

• informational talks as well as short-term or long-term counseling and support
• legal advice, social work, referrals to other institutions
• information about psychotherapy and assisting you to get it

Our counseling

• is partisan for women and girls, confidential and can even be anonymous (if requested)
• does not have to be connected with a criminal charge
• is completely free of cost (with no strings attached)

You can contact us if…

• you have been a victim of rape or have averted a rape
• you have experienced sexual harassment at your workplace or training place, in public, among friends or acquaintances...
• while doing sports, at home, on the street, at a concert, at the doctor`s, at school, at university, on holiday, etc. (it doesn't matter where)
• you are being/feeling intimidated or threatened
• you want to know how you can defend yourself against sexual violence
• you want to support a woman or girl who is/was affected by sexual violence

You decide, in which way you want to be supported and how long you want to stay in contact with us. We can keep in touch by phone or you can come to our counseling center for personal consultations. The counseling period can range from a single phone call to regular personal consultations for over a year.

If you choose to use our services, you will decide about the intensity of the counseling process and which possible further steps to take. Measures like filing a report to the police will only be taken with your consent!

Support for legal procedures

Should I make a report to the police? After an experience of sexual violence this can be difficult to decide. We will try to answer all the questions that you might have. If you take that step, we and one of our lawyers will advise and accompany you free of cost until the end of the legal proceedings.

Our support for legal procedures contains

• Psycho-social counseling and personally accompanying you to the authorities, to court and to medical examinations
• legal advice and providing you with the support of one of our lawyers (free of cost)
• exercising your rights as a victim of crime

Aims of the support for legal procedures

• to defend your rights as a victim
• to ensure a correct treatment of yours
• to give you a good overview and updated information about the on-goings of any legal procedures

We provide legal advice, we inform you about the possibilities of criminal charges, the criminal proceedings or about your status and rights as a victim. We accompany you to the police, to court and to official medical examinations. We help you to claim damages or to state a complaint because of mistreatment by police or court.