Sexual Assault

This companion to the SAFE Protocol offers a framework for the specialized education of health care providers who wish to practice as sexual assault forensic examiners. The training standards include recommendations for training objectives and topics that will enable a sexual assault forensic examiner to implement effectively the guidelines and standards outlined by the protocol.

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This white paper presents reasons why OVW cautions against submitting sexual assault kits to forensic laboratories if the person from whom the kit was collected has not chosen to report a sexual assault to law enforcement and has not otherwise consented to its submission.

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The Pediatric SAFE Protocol offers guidance for multidisciplinary agencies that coordinate with health care providers to facilitate medical care that addresses both the acute and longer-term health needs these children face. The goal of the Pediatric SAFE Protocol is to provide evidence-based, trauma-informed recommendations for health care providers who conduct sexual abuse medical forensic examinations of children.

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The Confinement SAFE Protocol is designed as a guide to assist administrators of prisons, jails, and community confinement facilities in drafting or revising protocols for an immediate response to incidents and reports of sexual assault. It also identifies issues and recommendations for administrators of lockups and juvenile corrections. This guide extends the efforts of the PREA Commission and the Department of Justice to address an immediate response to sexual assault in correctional environments by offering guidance on how to comply with the PREA Standards, follow a uniform evidence protocol and coordinate response activities, and help correctional facilities strive towards the standards in the SAFE Protocol.

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This is a revised edition of the original SAFE Protocol. Released in April 2013 by OVW, it maintains the same commitments of standardization and quality as the first SAFE Protocol, but is updated to reflect current technology. It also increases the emphasis on victim-centered care and includes additional information reflecting changes from the Violence Against Women Act of 2005.

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Mandated by the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act of 2013, this guide from the National Institute of Justice contains 35 recommendations for collecting evidence during a medical forensic exam of a sexual assault patient, investigating sexual assault, storing, maintaining, tracking, and processing evidence, as well as maintaining communication with victims.

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