Do you have a question which is not answered below?
Please contact the Support Line and one of our specialists will be happy to help.
Using this service
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The Support Line is a free phone and online chat service for anyone aged 16 and over in England and Wales who has been affected by any kind of sexual violence, abuse or harassment – no matter when or where it happened.
It is also for anyone who feels unsure about what happened or who feels confused. You are welcome to contact us even if you are not certain your experience 'counts'.
The Support Line is run by the national charity Rape Crisis England & Wales. It is available 24 hours a day and is staffed by trained specialists. They are here to listen, answer your questions, and offer confidential emotional support. This means we will not share what you tell us, except in rare situations where we need to act to keep someone safe.
We are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
⚠️ The Support Line is not an emergency service. If you feel unsafe or need urgent medical help, please call 999.
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The Support Line is for anyone aged 16 and over in England and Wales who has been affected by rape, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, or any other kind of sexual violence or abuse – no matter when or where it happened.
This includes:
- People of all genders who have experienced something sexual that they did not want to, did not consent to, or feel confused about.
- Their friends, family, or anyone else who is supporting them.
You can use this service even if you do not have leave to remain in the UK, or if your immigration status is not settled.
If you contact us, we will never think you are wasting our time or making a fuss. We will always listen to you and believe you, and we will never judge you.
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The Support Line is not able to support:
- Children and young people under the age of 16.
- Anyone living outside England and Wales.
However, there are other organisations that might be able to help you:
Support for children and young people under the age of 16
You can contact Childline about anything that is worrying you or making you feel upset.
Call free on 0800 1111 or visit the website to send an email or have an online chat with a counsellor.
Longer-term support
Some of our Rape Crisis centres offer longer-term support, such as counselling and advocacy, to young people aged 13 to 17. Others offer support to children aged 0 to 12.
If your local centre does not support people your age, they may still be able to point you to other organisations that can help.
Search for your nearest Rape Crisis centre
Support for victims and survivors outside England and Wales
The main Rape Crisis England & Wales has information about organisations in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Jersey, Europe, the United States and Australia.
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Yes. You can contact us. This service is for you too.
You don't have to give your name, contact details or any other information in order to talk to us – and our specialist operators will never ask you about your immigration status.
You can find more information about privacy and confidentiality in the section below.
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Yes. If you call us, you can ask to speak in another language. We will do our best to find you an interpreter through LanguageLine.
You will need to stay on the phone while we look for an interpreter. We cannot call you back once an interpreter is available, and we cannot book interpreters in advance.
Interpreters are often available quickly, but this cannot be guaranteed. If an interpreter for your language is not available at that moment, we may ask you to try calling again a little later.
At the moment, our online chat service is available in English only.
Find information about the Support Line – and sexual violence and abuse – in more languages
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We are here to listen to you, believe you, and answer any questions you might have.
We can also share information and resources that may help you to:
- Understand more about what happened.
- Think about what you might want to do next, if anything.
- Support you through difficult times, or moments that feel overwhelming.
- Find longer-term support, such as counselling or other therapies.
For lots of people who have experienced some form of sexual violence or abuse, talking to someone about what happened can really help. And sometimes it can feel easier to talk to someone who does not know you.
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We cannot:
- Give you advice or tell you what to do.
- Make referrals to other services on your behalf.
- Provide long-term or ongoing support.
- Offer counselling, therapy, or practical support.
What we can do instead:
- Support you to make your own decisions, if that is what you want.
- Give you information about other services that may be able to help you, including organisations that offer longer-term support such as counselling.
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Yes. The Support Line is completely free. Calls are free, and online chat is also free to use.
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We are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
However, we only have a limited number of specialists who answer calls and respond to online chats so you might not be able to get through straight away.
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You may do, depending on how busy the service is. Sometimes all our specialists are helping other callers.
If no one is available when you contact us, you may be placed in a queue or asked to try again a little later.
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We know this can feel very hard, and we care about you. While you wait, you might want to try one of the grounding exercises on this website. These can help you feel safer, calmer and more present.
Grounding exercises can help when you are:
- Feeling overwhelmed, upset, scared or panicked.
- Having flashbacks or distressing memories.
- Feeling disconnected from yourself, your body, or the world around you.
- Having urges to harm yourself.
You may also want to try something that feels comforting to you, such as: :
- Watching a favourite TV show or film.
- Messaging a friend - it does not have to be about what happened.
- Going for a walk.
- Making a cup of tea or another warm drink.
⚠️ If you are in immediate danger or need urgent medical help, please call 999.
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You will speak with one of our specialist operators. All of our operators are women.
Our operators understand that sexual violence, abuse and harassment can affect people in many different ways. They know that everyone’s experiences and feelings are unique.
They will listen to you, believe you, and will never judge you.
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No. It is not possible to choose a specific person to speak with.
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When you are connected to a specialist, you will have:
- Up to 40 minutes to speak on the phone.
- Up to 45 minutes for online chat.
You do not need to use the full time. You can end the call or chat at any time.
❗If the specialist you are speaking with is close to the end of their shift, they may not be able to stay for the full time. They will tell you at the start of the call or chat. You can then choose to continue or to end the conversation and try again to speak with another specialist.
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We know it can feel difficult or scary. There is no right or wrong way to begin the conversation.
Here are some things you could say to get started: :
- Hi.
- I want to talk to someone.
- I need support.
- Something happened to me.
- I am not sure what happened to me.
- I have never done this before.
- I am not sure what to say.
- This feels really hard.
- I am not doing well.
- I am struggling.
- I do not know where to start.
- I cannot say the words.
- I think I need to talk to someone, but I do not want to say what happened.
Our specialists understand how difficult it can be to take this step. You will not be pressured to talk about anything you do not want to. You do not have to tell us what happened to you.
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No. You do not have to tell us anything you do not want to share.
Our specialists will let you lead the conversation and will not tell you what to say or do. It is completely your choice what you share.
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No. The Support Line is run by Rape Crisis England & Wales and is completely separate from the police.
It is your choice whether you report what happened to the police. We will not pressure you to report.
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Yes. You can contact the Support Line more than once. Because this is not a long-term service, we do not keep detailed records of conversations.
If you contact us again, the specialist you speak to will not be able to see anything you have shared in previous conversations. This may mean you need to repeat some information if you want the specialist to know it.
You can find information about other services, including longer-term support, on the main Rape Crisis England & Wales website.
Please do not contact us more than once a day, or speak with more than one specialist at the same time, and please do not contact us more than twice in one week. This helps us to support as many people as possible.
Privacy and confidentiality
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No. You do not have to give your name, contact details, or any other personal information to speak with us.
What you choose to share with us is completely up to you. You do not have to tell us anything you are not comfortable sharing.
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We take your privacy seriously. We will not share what you tell us unless one of the following applies:
- We believe a child or an adult at risk may be in danger — including you or someone you have told us about.
- A court requires us to share information.
- You give written permission for the police to request information about you. You do not have to give this permission. It is always your choice.
We make decisions about sharing information carefully. We understand how important privacy is and want you to feel comfortable talking with us.
An 'Adult at risk' means someone over 18 who has additional health or care needs that may make it harder to keep themselves safe.
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We do not ask for any information before connecting you to a specialist. The specialist cannot see your phone number or IP address. They will only know what you choose to tell them during the conversation. If you contact us again, the specialist you speak to will not know what you have shared in previous conversations.
In rare situations, we may need to access your phone number at a later point. This may happen if:
- We believe a child or an adult at risk may be in danger - including you or someone you have told us about.
- Our policy on how often the Support Line can be used has not been followed.
- A court requires us to share information.
- You give written permission for the police to request information about you. This may happen if you have reported what happened to the police. You do not have to give this permission. It is always your choice.
An IP address is a number that identifies the device you are using to connect to the internet, such as a computer, phone or tablet.
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No. We never record calls.
However, a second member of our team may listen to a call while it is happening. We only do this for training or to check that we are providing a good service.
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The Support Line is not a long-term service, so our specialists do not take detailed notes of conversations. They will not write down your full name or contact details, even if you choose to share them.
This means that if you contact us more than once, the specialist you speak to will not be able to see anything you have shared in previous conversations.
We do sometimes keep copies of full online chats. However, these are always deleted as quickly as possible and never kept for more than 30 days. Specialists cannot access these copies if the same person contacts us again.
Information we keep about conversations and people who contact us
- Our specialists make brief notes about each conversation, such as the type of support given and how long it lasted. They may write down your first name if you choose to share it, but they will never write down your full name or contact details.
- At the end of a call or chat you may be asked to share some basic information about yourself, such as your age, gender and ethnicity. We will never ask for your name, contact details, or any information that could identify you. This is completely optional and you do not have to do it.
All of this information is kept for monitoring and reporting purposes - to check whether there are groups or communities we are not reaching, and to make sure we are providing a good service.
Information we keep about people who have not followed our policy on using the service
To help us support as many people as possible, we ask that you do not:
- Contact us more than once a day.
- Use the service with more than one specialist at the same time.
- Contact us more than twice in one week.
If someone does not follow this policy, we may need to keep brief information to help our specialists recognise them if they contact us again. This is so we can help them to use the service within our guidelines.
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No.
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Yes. Online chats are kept for a short time so that we can check the quality of our service or respond to complaints.
All chats are automatically deleted after 30 days.
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Yes. You can download or print your chat using the Save or Print icon at the top of the window. If you use a shared device, you may want to delete the file afterwards or remove it from your downloads folder to keep it private.
You can:
- Save it in a secure folder that only you can access
- Rename the file so it is not easily identifiable
- Delete it from your device when you no longer need it
- Delete it from your downloads history or recycle bin
If you are unsure, you do not have to save a copy.
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If you are worried about someone seeing your chat activity, you can:
- Use a private or incognito browser window.
- Clear your browsing history and stored data (also known as your cache) after closing the chat.
- Delete any downloaded transcripts from your downloads folder and recycle bin.
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Select the Close button (X icon) in the top corner to end your chat at any time. This will close the window immediately. Nothing is saved unless you have chosen to download a transcript to your device.
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Yes. The pop-out icon opens the chat in a new window that you can move and resize. If you are on a shared device, remember to close the window when you are finished.
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When police are investigating a reported sexual offence, they may request personal information about the victim or survivor. This can include medical records, counselling notes, and text messages or emails. If the survivor contacted the Support Line, the police may also request any information we hold about them.
We will never release personal information to the police without a survivor's signed consent.
Important things to remember if you have reported a sexual offence
- If the police want to request information we hold about you, they must have your signed consent first. You do not have to give this consent. It is always your decision.
- You can check what information we hold about you at any time by sending us a subject access request. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can also help you with this. Or you can email us at rcewinfo@rapecrisis.org.uk and we will guide you through the process.
- You may be able to request support from a Rape Crisis ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advocate or Adviser) at your local Rape Crisis centre. ISVAs can support you throughout the criminal justice process - they can explain how things work and help you make decisions. You can find out more about Rape Crisis ISVAs on the Rape Crisis England and Wales website.
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There are three steps you can take to keep your browsing private:
- Use the internet in private or incognito mode: before searching online or entering a website address, open a private or incognito window first. This means your browsing will not be saved on the device you are using. Remember to close the window when you are finished.
- Delete your internet browser history: if you do not use private or incognito mode, your browser automatically saves a list of the websites you have visited. This is called your ‘history’. You can delete Support Line pages, or any other pages, from your history at any time.
- Delete cookies from your computer: cookies are small files that are saved to your device when you visit websites. They help websites remember your preferences and keep track of pages you have visited.
Problems with online chat
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This can usually be fixed with a few simple steps. Try each one in turn:
- Clear your browser cache and cookies - this can often resolve loading or queue problems. Your cache and cookies are small files your browser saves when you visit websites. Find out more about cookies and how to clear them on this help page.
- Try a different device or browser.
- Check your internet connection.
- Restart your browser or computer.
- Use private or incognito mode: if this fixes the problem, a browser extension may be interfering with the chat. A browser extension is a small add-on that changes how your browser works. Find out more about using the internet in private or incognito mode on this help page.
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If your online chat messages are pending, it is most likely because:
- Your internet connection dropped - try reconnecting to Wi-Fi or mobile data and then return to the chat.
- You closed the chat window without clicking 'End chat' - go back to the website and start a new chat.
- Your phone screen locked - unlock your phone and refresh the page to continue the chat. Note: this depends on your phone’s settings. Some phones lock the screen during a chat, which can interrupt the connection.
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If you are having trouble with online chat, it may be that the service is experiencing a temporary technical problem. Most issues can be fixed by trying the steps below:
- Check your internet or Wi-Fi – move closer to your router or reconnect.
- Restart your computer or refresh your browser – clear your cookies and cache, and try again. Find out more about cookies and how to clear them on this help page.
- Use private or incognito mode - Learn about using the internet in private or incognito mode on this help page.
- Close other apps or browser tabs – this can help if your device is running slowly.
- Allow pop-ups in your browser settings – the chat may not open if pop-ups are blocked. A pop-up is a small window that some browsers block automatically.
- Restart the chat if it times out or you get an error message.
- Disable browser extensions - some can interfere with the way chat functions. Browser extensions are small add-ons that change how your browser works. Try turning them off one at a time to find the one causing the problem.
During busy periods it may take a little longer to connect you. We are sorry for any wait and we will be with you as soon as possible. If you have tried all of the steps above and are still having problems, please try calling the Support Line instead on 0808 500 2222. It is free and available 24 hours a day.
Rape, sexual abuse and other forms of sexual violence
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At Rape Crisis England & Wales, we use the term ‘sexual violence’ to describe anything sexual that happens to someone without their consent - in other words, anything sexual they did not want or agree to. This can involve physical contact or no physical contact at all.
There are many different kinds of sexual violence. Some examples are:
- rape (including stealthing)
- child sexual abuse
- sexual assault
- sexual harassment
- indecent exposure (including flashing, cyberflashing and unsolicited sexual images)
There are many more.
Any sexual activity or behaviour that happens without consent is wrong. It is never the fault of the person it happened to.
We use the word 'violence' to talk about anything sexual that happens to someone without their consent because of the serious harm it can cause a person and their life.
Something does not have to involve other physical violence - for example, kicking, hitting, punching, or tearing clothes - to be sexual violence. There does not have to have been any physical contact at all.
Find out more about types of sexual violence on rapecrisis.org.uk
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Understanding consent can help make sense of what happened to you. Whatever you experienced, you did not have to be certain about it at the time for it to matter.
Sexual consent means that everyone involved in sexual activity has freely agreed to take part. This means they had a genuine choice - they were not pressured, frightened, tricked, or unable to decide for themselves.
Someone has not consented if they:
- Did not know it was going to happen.
- Did not say it could happen or that they wanted it to.
- Were drunk or on drugs.
- Were asleep or unconscious.
- Were pressured, bullied, manipulated, tricked, or scared into saying yes.
- Seemed unsure, tried to move away, or froze while it was happening.
- Were a child.
- Were physically forced into it.
- Were not able to make their own choice for any other reason — for example, because of a mental health condition or disability.
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Rape, sexual abuse and all other forms of sexual violence can affect people deeply and in many different ways - both at the time and later on.
If someone has experienced a form of sexual violence, it may affect their:
- physical health
- mental and emotional health
- behaviour and habits
- job and finances
- daily routine
- social life
- sleep
- relationships – both romantic and non-romantic
- sex life
Sexual violence can affect almost any part of a person’s life.
Everyone is affected differently by sexual violence, abuse and harassment. There is no right or wrong way to feel.
Find out more about the effects of sexual violence on rapecrisis.org.uk
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Rape, sexual abuse and many other forms of sexual violence are extremely common:
- Around 1 in 4 women have experienced rape or sexual assault as an adult.
- Around 1 in 20 men have experienced rape or sexual assault as an adult.
- Around 1 in 6 children have experienced sexual abuse.
These figures do not include other forms of sexual violence such as sexual harassment, which are also very common.
Find more statistics about sexual violence on rapecrisis.org.uk
Our behaviour policy
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Our Support Line specialists should be able to work without experiencing aggressive or inappropriate behaviour. There is certain behaviour that we do not accept from anyone who contacts the Support Line.
This includes:
- Discriminatory behaviour based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic
- Verbal abuse directed at our specialists.
- Engaging in sexual activity while using the service.
- Any other threatening, aggressive, or inappropriate behaviour.
- Any behaviour that puts our specialists at risk.
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Our response will depend on the following factors:
- The seriousness of the situation.
- Whether our specialists believe the behaviour is intentional.
- Whether the person has already been asked to change their behaviour.
If our specialists feel it is appropriate, they may speak with the person about their behaviour and give them an opportunity to change it. Our specialists always have the right to end a call or chat if they believe this is necessary.
In some cases, we may suspend someone from using the service. If this happens, you can find out how to raise a concern in the FAQ below.
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We believe that anger is a normal response to experiences of sexual violence and abuse. We will always support people who are feeling or expressing anger about what happened to them or their situation.
We are not able to continue a call or chat if anger is directed at our specialists.
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If we have ended your call or chat, or suspended you from using the service, and you do not agree with our decision, you can contact us at rcewinfo@rapecrisis.org.uk rcewinfo@rapecrisis.org.uk. We aim to respond as soon as possible.
Feedback and complaints
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We welcome your feedback.
You can do this by completing our online feedback form.
If you contact us by phone, we may ask at the end of the call if you would like to leave anonymous feedback. This is entirely optional.
If you contact us by online chat, you will always have the opportunity to leave anonymous feedback at the end. This is entirely optional.
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Please visit our complaints page on the Rape Crisis England & Wales website, rapecrisis.org.uk.
If you make a complaint, we will need to collect some personal information - for example, your name and email address. This will only be used to respond to your complaint and will not be shared or used for any other purpose.