Rape and sexual abuse

Every fact on this page comes from legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, the NHS, nidirect and the helplines’ own websites. We last checked it on 6 October 2026. Each helpline shows the date we last checked it. This is general information, not legal or medical advice.

What is sexual abuse?

Sexual abuse is any sexual act that you didn’t agree to, or weren’t able to agree to. That includes being pressured, threatened or tricked, or being too drunk, drugged or asleep to say no. It includes rape, and it can happen within a relationship or marriage.

What consent means in law

Each part of the UK has its own law on sexual offences, and each one says what consent means.

• England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. A person consents if they agree by choice, and have the freedom and capacity to make that choice.
• Scotland. Consent means “free agreement”. The law lists times when there is no free agreement, including when someone is too affected by alcohol or drugs to consent, agrees only because of violence or threats, or is asleep or unconscious.

It is still rape if you are married to the person or in a relationship with them, sometimes called marital rape. It is also still rape if you agreed once but then changed your mind.

It was not your fault

However you reacted at the time, whether you froze, went along with it or said nothing, it was not your fault. Many people don’t fight back or tell anyone straight away. That doesn’t make what happened any less serious.

You choose whether to report

You don’t have to report a sexual assault to the police if you don’t want to. You can still get medical care and support.

A sexual assault referral centre (SARC) offers medical, practical and emotional support to anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted or abused, whatever their gender or age, and whenever it happened. A SARC can arrange a forensic medical examination even if you haven’t decided whether to report, and can put you in touch with an independent sexual violence adviser (ISVA).

• England and Wales. In England, the NHS website explains SARCs and helps you find one near you. Wales has SARCs too, such as Ynys Saff in Cardiff.
• Scotland. NHS Scotland’s sexual assault response coordination service (SARCS) may be able to arrange a forensic medical examination without a report to the police. Call the self-referral phone service on 0800 148 88 88, free from landlines and mobiles, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Northern Ireland. The Rowan is the regional SARC. It helps children, young people, women and men, whether the abuse was recent or in the past, and you can contact it yourself without going to the police: 0800 389 4424, free from landlines, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

If you do decide to report, our guide to the criminal process explains what happens.

Someone to support you through it

An independent sexual violence adviser (ISVA) gives emotional and practical support to people who have experienced sexual violence or abuse, whether or not they report it to the police. An ISVA can help you understand your options, including reporting to the police and what happens at court.

In England and Wales, the government has issued statutory guidance on the ISVA role under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. SARCs can arrange access to an ISVA. Read more about the people you might meet.

Helplines you can call

These lines are there for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse, whenever it happened.

Our Support Directory lists more organisations for rape and sexual abuse. If someone has shared, or is threatening to share, intimate images of you, see online abuse.

Your options

If you want to, you can find out about criminal injuries compensation, civil claims and redress schemes in your options. There’s no pressure to do any of it.

This page gives information, not legal or medical advice.

Where this information comes from

• legislation.gov.uk: Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 74
• legislation.gov.uk: Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, sections 12 to 14
• legislation.gov.uk: Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, article 3
• GOV.UK: consent poster (“It is still rape if…”)
• legislation.gov.uk: Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, section 1, including the Northern Ireland version
• legislation.gov.uk: Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, section 104 (not yet in force)
• NHS: help after rape and sexual assault
• NHS inform: help after a rape or sexual assault (Scotland)
• nidirect: The Rowan, Sexual Assault Referral Centre
• GOV.UK: Independent Sexual Violence Adviser statutory guidance
• Each helpline’s own website, linked on its card

Checked on 6 October 2026. Laws and helpline hours can change, so check the official pages before you act.