Tips for Friends and Family - SAN FRANCISCO WOMEN AGAINST RAPE

Talk with people you can trust. You too need support from others.
If you are male and the survivor is female, do not take personally that any hatred she expresses toward men. If the perpetrator was a man, her anger with the perpetrator may generalize into a temporary anger toward all men. This is normal and understandable given the circumstances.
Talk to a counselor or call a rape crisis hotline (SFWAR’s RAPE CRISIS HOTLINE IS 415-647-7273). It is hard to witness someone in emotional pain. Take care of yourself as you help the survivor.
Educate yourself about rape and rape prevention.
Do not expect to be able to make the survivor feel better all of the time.
Do not blame the survivor. Even when you feel poor judgments were made by the survivor, no one deserves to be sexually assaulted or abused.
Do not blame yourself. The only person who is at fault is the person who committed the crime.