As a medical professional, the most important part of assisting a rape victim is to ensure that they are given the support and resources that they need to heal. To best provide this support and resources, it is important to ask the right questions during the initial interview. A well-crafted and compassionate interview can provide a victim with a sense of safety and understanding, which can be life-changing for them. Asking the right questions also helps medical professionals to evaluate, diagnose, and treat the victim in a supportive and effective way. In this blog post, we will cover the key interview questions to ask a rape victim in order to create a positive and supportive environment during the interview. We hope that this post will provide an understanding of best practices when it comes to interviewing a rape victim and that the information provided here will help medical professionals to provide the best support possible to victims.
How to Interview Victims like a Pro
A guide for developing tools to assess for sexual assault within the context of domestic violence1
Rapport should be built with the victim before screening questions are asked.
Questions should use specific language when referring to the crime. Words such as hurt, threatened, or forced should be clarified by the interviewer (i.e. did they hurt you vs. did they hit or push you).
Due to rape myths, some victims of intimate partner sexual violence may not consider the crime a “rape.” Screening questions should use words such as sexual activity, intimate experience, and so forth.
Questions should be open-ended and designed to facilitate disclosure.
Persons asking questions about sexual activities should first receive training in how to discuss sexual histories and experiences in a non-threatening, non-judgmental manner.
Before asking the questions, the interviewer should decide what they will do if the victim provides information that indicates a sexual assault. Before asking the victim such questions, the interviewer must know the answers to the following questions:
What kind of responses would make you think that a need for an intervention is present?
What kind of intervention are you prepared to make?
What further questions would you need to ask?
What resources and/or information do you have to offer?
The list of screening questions below has been compiled from various academic sources. This is not a comprehensive list of inquiries, and they have not undergone a formal evaluation. These questions are designed to facilitate disclosure from the victim. They should be modified by the interviewer as needed to fit particular assessment situations because they are not meant to be used verbatim.
Have you ever been intimate with your partner when you didnt want to?
Does your partner ever force you to be intimate? How often does this happen and when did it happen last?
Have you ever been intimate with your partner because you were afraid of them?
Are there times when sex between you or your partner is unpleasant for either one of you? What happens to make it unpleasant?
Do you and your partner ever have disagreements about sex: for example, when and how often to have sex? How do you resolve those disagreements?
Do you think you and your partner enjoy your sexual relationship equally?
Has your partner ever made you have a sexual experience when you had too much alcohol to drink or when youve taken something (for example: drugs) that made you unable to consent?
Has your partner ever forced or pressured you into doing things that you werent comfortable with? What were they?
Has your partner ever forced you to have a sexual experience by using a weapon, or by physically hurting you?
Has your partner ever forced you to have a sexual experience by kidnapping you, or by breaking into your home, office, car or other property?
Have you ever had sex with your partner because they have threatened, pressured, forced, or hurt you? What happened?2
Has your partner ever had sex with you when you were physically or mentally unable to say yes or agree to the activity?
Have you ever “given in” to a sexual encounter with your partner to avoid fighting or being hurt?
Have you ever had a sexual encounter because you felt overwhelmed by your partners continual arguing and / or pressure?
Has your partner ever touched you in a sexual way that has made you feel uncomfortable?
Has your partner ever said or done sexually degrading things to you?
Follow-up Questions:3
After the previous screening questions have been asked, these follow-up questions are intended to elicit further information from the victim. When the victim has provided a positive response to the closed-ended initial screening question, these questions ask the victim for more information.
How long has this sexual abuse / behavior been occurring in your relationship?
How often does the sexual abuse occur?
Are there any patterns between the physical and sexual abuse in your relationship?
Have you noticed any change in the frequency or severity of abuse in your relationship?
Was there ever any force or pressure involved?
Have you ever told anyone or received help?
Who did you tell or what type of help did you receive?
How has the sexual abuse in your relationship impacted you?
Have you noticed any physical or medical changes with your body?
What has been the emotional or psychological affects youve experienced as a result of the sexual abuse?
Note to interviewer — based upon your assessment of the situation, clarify for the victim what you mean by threat, pressure, force, and the like.
Fribley, C. & Trujillo, O. Sexual Violence Within the Context of DV. “Praxis International Audio Conference Call”, September 2006.
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FAQ
What are good questions to ask a survivor?
Some examples of good questions to ask include:
What do you think is important for people to know?
How has this experience affected you?
What services/resources/people helped you in your recovery?
What made it difficult for you to come forward?
What questions should I ask a trauma victim?
Other questions asking for a chronological account. If there is anything you can recall from the assault, please share it with me. “Would you tell me what you are able to remember about your experience?” “What are you able to tell me about what was happening before/during/after the assault?”
How do you interview someone with trauma?
Six tips for interviewing people who’ve experienced trauma
Treat people with respect and gratitude. …
Be a human and express empathy. …
Respect boundaries and give the subject their agency. …
Before interviewing someone about the traumatic event(s) they have experienced, if at all possible, get to know them.
