Getting support. Te tiki tautoko.

My strength hasn't come from myself alone, it's come from those who walked with me. Because I couldn't have done this without help. There's been a lot of people whose strength has helped me.

Ashley

You don't have to get through this on your own. The effects of sexual violence will vary, everyone is different and there is no one way to react to sexual violence.  The effects may be physical, emotional, psychological or behavioural. There's support available no matter what your situation is or whether it happened yesterday or decades ago. It's never too late to get support.

• Is there someone you know, who you can trust, that you can talk to? 
• For professional support, start by talking to the people at the "Safe to talk(external link)" helpline; they can help connect you to support services in your community. They can also access tailored support services for men, women, children, Māori, Pasifika, people from South Asia and the Middle East as well as other cultures, the RAINBOW community, sex workers and people with disabilities. Support is also available for friends, family and whānau.
• If you have any other needs that need to be considered, you can get specialist support too. The Safe to talk(external link) helpline can help you get the best support for you. You can call 0800 044 334, text on 4334 or talk to them via webchat. They'll listen and you won't be judged.
• Many of these services are free while others might ask you to make a contribution or to seek ACC(external link) or WINZ funding to contribute to costs.

Financial Support through ACC:

If you're a victim of sexual violence you may be eligible for financial support to help cover some of the costs of the crime(external link). ACC pays the full cost of counselling for sexual violence and you DO NOT have to make a report to Police to access ACC-funded counselling. ACC will only pay for counselling that is provided by an ACC registered counsellor; find someone in your area(external link). For more information about claims you can free call 0800 101 996.

Your rights:

Victims of crime in New Zealand have rights.  They cover things such as how you should expect to be treated. These rights are set out in the Victim's Code(external link).

I think one of the barriers for people coming out about [sexual violence] is the sense that they will be judged. Men are supposed to be strong and not have emotions and I think that's a very big part of it.

Martin.B