We take any report of rape or sexual assault seriously and will see you to offer you support as soon as possible and in privacy. We aim to be polite, patient, sensitive, and non-judgemental. In most cases of rape and sexual assault, the victims, no matter what their sex, prefer to talk about their ordeal with women. If that is what you want, we will do our best to make sure that a female officer is present at any meeting.

We can tell you about local police and legal procedures. If you want to contact the police, we can come to the police station with you. Where possible we can try to make sure that you are interviewed by a female police officer if that is what you would prefer. If you want us to, we can give you a list of English speaking lawyers and interpreters.

However, only you can decide whether or not to take legal action: we cannot make this decision for you. Remember that if you choose not to report the crime immediately but change your mind later, forensic and other evidence may be lost.

If you are subjected to a sexual crime, please inform your tour operator immediately.  If you are travelling independently, please inform the Police authorities.

1 )  It is important that any application is made at the soonest possibility, as the loss or existence of forensic evidence is crucial at Court

2 )  If you want us to, we can contact your next of kin or other family and friends.

3 ) You can change your clothes but please do not have shower, which causes the loss of forensic evidence.  You should bring the clothes that you were wearing at the time of the incident to the Police and leave them there to be used as evidence

4 ) You will make a statement at the Police Station. Your tour operator or police authorities can help you find an interpreter. The British Embassy/Consulates can provide you with a list of the English speaking lawyers and the interpreters who you can call on private basis.  You may be required to pay a service fee for translation services. Please remember to obtain a receipt in the event of any later insurance claim.

5 )  You will be taken to the place of incident by the Police

6 )  You will be asked to identify the assailant.  Please note that at some Police Stations in Turkey, the identification is done face to face in the same room rather than behind a glass due to the limitations of the physical facilities.

7 )  You will be taken to a State Hospital for medical examination. This may be conducted the same day or the following day depending on geographical location. A gynaecologic, external and psychiatric examination will be conducted to gather evidence for the court hearing.

8 )  You will be asked to repeat your statement before the Public Prosecutor.  A solicitor will be called from the Bar to be present only for this statement

9 )   The British Consulate can supply you with a list of the English speaking lawyers.      

It is a long procedure.  It can take a whole day and more if you need to travel to another city for the psychiatric examination.  Please bear in mind a lot of other cases including yours are held both at the Police Station and at Court all at the same time.  It is important to note that once the procedure has started it cannot later be dropped.

This leaflet has been prepared by the British Embassy in Ankara for the convenience of enquirers.  Although all care has been taken in it's production, neither Her Majesty's Government nor any Consular Official in the British Embassy in Ankara take any responsibility for it's precise accuracy or for the consequences of any action taken in accordance with it's contents.

June 2008