RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT Rape is a crime of violence, not passion. It is an experience that may leave you haunted by nightmares and flashbacks, feeling numb and in shock. You may hesitate to tell family or friends because you may feel like it’s your fault. It is not your fault. Submitting to your attacker does not make the assault okay. Even if you were drunk, high, or unconscious, sexual assault is a crime. Being the victim of rape or sexual assault may interrupt your life at home, at work, or at school, affecting your relationships with friends, family, and coworkers. You may be reluctant to report the crime to the police because you don’t want to deal with a long investigation and trial. Safe Horizon understands these feelings. If you are in New York City and are the victim of rape or sexual assault, we can help you. You have survived, and now you can begin to recover. Safe Horizon is here to help you begin sorting out your emotions and concerns and understand the facts about the crime. If you have been the victim of a rape or sexual assault, call the hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. WHAT ARE RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT? Sexual assault is a general term that includes any forced or unwanted sexual activity, including rape, incest, sexual abuse, and molestation. Sexual assault/rape is not a crime of passion but a crime of violence, using sex as a weapon to overpower and to degrade the victim. A rapist can be a stranger or someone the victim knows including a spouse, date, or family member. SAFE HORIZON’S RAPE CRISIS AND SEXUAL ASSAULT PROGRAMS Safe Horizon’s Rape Crisis Programs in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island provide individual and group counseling, workshops, support groups, emergency assistance, practical assistance, advocacy with housing, accompaniment to the court, hospital and police station, and information to victims of sexual assault and their families.