After a sexual assault, first get to a safe place and call 110 (China's police number); before the medical exam don't shower, wash clothes or tidy the room, and go to a hospital within 72 hours

In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.

Cost

Reporting to the police is free. The emergency contraceptive pill is an over-the-counter drug that a pharmacy can sell you. A course of the preventive HIV drugs costs over a thousand CNY, and whether to take it is for a doctor to judge; see §13.38 (get the preventive medicine within 72 hours). The hard part is that it is very hard to speak up at the time, and you badly want a shower right away.

What you get

A procurator of the Beijing People's Procuratorate (北京市人民检察院) said: "whether a minor or an adult, anyone who suffers an assault should dial 110 to report it right away." Reporting and getting medical care promptly "lets the investigators promptly examine the scene, collect physical evidence and traces, and fix the evidence." The anti-sexual-assault handbook from the People's Daily, reposted by the Guizhou Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, says: "if you are unfortunately sexually assaulted, the most important thing is to preserve evidence." Keep "evidence such as bodily fluids, hair, skin flakes and communication records," and "after the assault, do not shower, wash clothes, tidy the room or throw things away on your own." If the offender is an acquaintance, keep call and message records. If the other person threatens or tries to buy you off afterward, keep that evidence too. The Xicheng District People's Procuratorate of Beijing wrote: "try not to shower before the physical exam." The World Health Organization says emergency contraception can be used when "a woman is sexually assaulted without effective contraceptive protection." It advises using it within 5 days, and the sooner the better. Among women who used emergency contraceptive pills containing levonorgestrel (a progestin), pregnancy rates were 1.2% to 2.1%. Levonorgestrel tablets sold in Chinese pharmacies are over-the-counter drugs. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission (武汉市卫健委) says: after unprotected sex, "within 72 hours, the sooner the pill is taken the better it prevents pregnancy." The preventive HIV drugs should be taken within 2 hours where possible, and no later than 72 hours (China)

Notes

Graded B because these are the authorities' casework experience and drug advice, with no figures on how much higher the conviction rate is when they are followed. The main beneficiary is you and your family. The 72 hours for the emergency pill is the wording in Chinese package inserts; the World Health Organization says it still works within 5 days, but it gets worse the later you take it, so don't put it off. If you are already pregnant, the emergency pill has no effect. When you report, tell it as it was, without hiding anything or exaggerating. If the other person comes to you afterward to settle privately, offers money or threatens you, keep a record of all of it and don't delete it. It is also fine to think it over before reporting, but evidence disappears with time. Whether or not you report, go to a hospital within the time limits. For audio recording, see §8.41 (recording). If the other person afterward uses photos or the threat of reporting to blackmail you, that is also a crime; see §8.32 (someone uses a threat to report you, or to post photos, to demand money). If a friend goes through this, go with them to report and to the hospital, and don't start by telling them to take a shower and rest. For how to teach children day to day and how parents should respond when a child tells them, see §30.19 (knowing the private parts of the body). If nightmares and flashbacks continue after a month, see §29.14 (trauma-focused psychotherapy). For everyday contraception after giving birth, see §27.20 (breastfeeding is not contraception).

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. Beijing Municipal People's Procuratorate (2024). Legal Eyes on TV Dramas | Watching "The Prosecutors of Division Nine": How Should Minors Protect Themselves Against Unlawful Harm? [in Chinese] (republished from CNR China Voice of China Media Group). https://www.bjjc.gov.cn/c/bjoweb/mtbg1/75046.jhtml
2. Guizhou Provincial Department of Civil Affairs (2024). Handbook for Preventing Sexual Assault of Minors: Parents and Children, Please Take a Look! [in Chinese] (republished from People's Daily). https://mzt.guizhou.gov.cn/xwzx/mzyw/202407/t20240723_85145012.html
3. Xicheng District People's Procuratorate, Beijing (2018). Why They Are No Longer Silent... [in Chinese]. https://www.bjjc.gov.cn/c/xicheng/xjjsl/320654084.jhtml
4. World Health Organization (2021). Emergency contraception (fact sheet) [in Chinese]. https://www.who.int/zh/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/emergency-contraception
5. Wuhan Municipal Health Commission (2020). Safe and Rational Use of Emergency Contraceptive Pills [in Chinese]. https://wjw.wuhan.gov.cn/ztzl_28/fyjkkp/szjk/202010/t20201009_1461161.shtml
6. Beijing Municipal People's Government. Can't Tell Pre-Exposure From Post-Exposure? Six Questions and Answers on HIV Pre-Exposure and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis [in Chinese]. https://www.beijing.gov.cn/fuwu/bmfw/jhsyfwzdzx/sjazbr/fakp/202311/t20231110_3299397.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 42. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer