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Sexual violence means that someone forces or manipulates someone else into unwanted sexual activity without their consent. This can occur due to fear, age, illness, disability, or influence of alcohol or drugs. Victims can be anyone—children, teens, adults, and elders—and perpetrators can be acquaintances, family members, trusted individuals, or strangers.

Each state sets an “age of consent,” the minimum age required to legally consent to sexual activity. People below this age are considered children and cannot legally agree to have sex. In other words, even if the child or teenager says “yes,” the law says “no.” In Texas, the age of consent is 17, but this can vary depending on the age difference between the participants. It’s up to you to make sure your partner is old enough to legally take part. Because this can be both a complicated question and answer, it is important to call us to find out more about the laws in our state.

Alcohol and drugs are not an excuse – or an alibi. States define who has the mental and legal capacity to consent. You have to be awake, lucid, and able to communicate in order to consent. Those with diminished capacity — including people who have been drugged or are unconscious — do not have the legal ability to agree to have sex. Ingesting such a quantity of any substance that it affects your decision making process is not advisable for a number of health related reasons. We encourage you to call us and find out more about the laws in our state.

While it is best to communicate your needs and boundaries whenever possible, sometimes it isn’t safe to resist, physically or verbally. It depends on the circumstances. If this is the case, we would ask that you consider the following questions: Did someone use physical force (of any kind) to make you have sexual contact with her/him? Did someone threaten you to make you have sexual contact with her/him? Were you afraid of the consequences of saying ‘No’? Were you scared for your life or safety? If fear was in the room, then there was no consent. It doesn’t matter if your partner thinks you meant yes, or if you’ve already started having sex – you have the right to change your mind about participating in sexual activity at any time. No one has the right to control your body but you.

Make sure you are in a safe environment

If you believe you are still in danger, call 911.

Once you’re out of physical danger, contact someone you know and trust, such as a friend, relative, teacher, school counselor, friend’s parent, doctor or religious leader.

If you’re unsure of your next steps, you can call us for confidential information and support. Our trained crisis hotline staff and volunteers are available 24/7 to answer your questions, help you explore your options, and support you through the recovery process.

Call us anytime at 972-641-RAPE (7273).

It’s important to be aware that if you disclose your identity and location and that you are being harmed, the person you tell may be required by state law to alert authorities. If you do not have any trusted adults in your life or wish to talk confidentially for now, you can call the National child abuse prevention hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD.

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

If you have already taken steps to harm yourself or feel that you can’t stop yourself from committing suicide, call 911 or go to the emergency room.

A sexual assault medical exam, also known as a forensic exam or a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) exam, is a comprehensive medical evaluation conducted by trained healthcare professionals following a reported sexual assault. This exam aims to assess and treat any injuries, collect evidence such as DNA samples, document findings, and provide necessary medical care and support to the survivor.

A "rape kit" is a colloquial term often used to refer to the collection of evidence during a sexual assault medical exam. The kit typically contains materials for the collection of bodily fluids, hair samples, and other evidence that may be present on the survivor's body or clothing.

While a sexual assault medical exam includes the use of a rape kit for evidence collection, the exam itself encompasses a broader scope of medical and forensic procedures and is conducted by a trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).

DARCC advocates respond to Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, THR Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, and Texas Health Rockwall. Please note that in the state of Texas, if a victim would like to make a police report, she/he has up to 120 hours from the time the assault occurred for a medical forensic exam to be completed. If the assault occurred more than 120 hours ago, a forensic exam cannot be completed but the crime may still be reported. We would still encourage you to obtain, at a minimum, a wellness exam, to ensure that you have not sustained any injuries. The following hospitals in Dallas County also provide SANE exams and may offer advocacy support, depending on location: Parkland Health, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Medical City, and Children's Medical Center Dallas.

You will meet with a Triage Nurse in the emergency room. You may find it difficult to explain your needs to the nurse. Although you do not need to give the nurse all the details of the assault, you will have to say you were sexually assaulted in order to receive the proper treatment. This will activate a system of processes to ensure that you are provided with specific services. The hospital will call our hotline and a DARCC advocate will be dispatched to meet you at the hospital. You will be taken to a triage room and medically stabilized before the medical forensic exam can take place.

A DARCC advocate is a staff member or volunteer who has a special role that is different from a counselor, law enforcement and medical personnel. A DARCC advocate’s purpose is to provide emotional support, as well as information about resources, while the victim is in the hospital setting. Advocates also serve as a liaison, helping the victim and anyone who may have come with her/him understand the medical and legal processes that occur while the victim is in the hospital setting. DARCC’s Advocates value and maintain the victim’s privacy and confidentiality except if they are informed of potential threat to the life of the victim or others and/or if they have reason to believe that a child, a disabled person or an elderly person is being abused and/or harmed. In such cases, the advocate is obligated by law to report the information to the appropriate authorities.

If you are an adult, you do not necessarily have to report the assault to police. Some people wait to report the assault later, and some people never report. But if you would like evidence gathered and you’re still not sure if reporting is right for you, the law allows adult sexual assault victims to obtain a medical forensic exam without making a police report if that is what you would prefer. This is also called a “non-report” exam. If the victim would not like to make a police report, the medical forensic exam will be completed up to 120 hours after the time of the assault. Evidence collected without an accompanying police report will be packaged and sent to the Office of the Attorney General and stored for a minimum of two years, which provides you with time to consider your decision. If the victim would like to make a police report, she/he has up to 120 hours from the time the assault occurred for a medical forensic exam to be completed. If the assault occurred more than 120 hours ago, a forensic exam cannot be completed but the crime may still be reported.

Any person can be a victim of sexual violence. Your feelings may be the same as those of any other sexual assault survivor (guilt, powerlessness, concern regarding your safety), and you may also have some concerns unique to your gender identity, including your sexuality, masculinity/femininity, reporting to law enforcement, how to tell others, and how to find resources and support. You have done nothing that justifies being raped and DARCC is available to help you navigate the process.