Specialist sexual assault medical services

There are several ways:

• You can access a service directly without a referral. The MEDSAC (Medical Sexual Assault Clinicians Aotearoa) Find SAATS Services page lists the medical sexual assault clinics around the country, and how to get in touch with your nearest crisis support agency if you want counseling or advice.
• Ask the Police to refer you.
• Ask your GP, Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa Clinic or Sexual Health Clinic to refer you
• Ask the Hospital or 24 Hour surgery to refer you
• Ask Oranga Tamariki (previously known as CYFs) to refer you if you are under 18.

During a sexual abuse examination for a person with a vagina, swabs may be taken from the vagina and cervix, and sometimes from in or around the anus (bum hole or back passage). These swabs can help check for infections or, if you choose, collect forensic evidence.

The clinician will explain everything before it happens and nothing will be done without your consent. You can ask to pause or stop at any time.

If a child is requiring a sexual abuse examination: Sexual abuse examinations for children are gentle and focused on the child's wellbeing. They are not the same as cervical screening, and a speculum is not used for pre-pubertal children.

In a prepubertal child, the cells on the vaginal wall and the cells on the cervix are exactly the same cells. In a prepubertal child, if we take a swab from the lower vagina and nothing grows, we can guarantee that there are no bacteria on the cervix either. However, when you go through puberty, the cells on the cervix become different to the cells on the vaginal wall. In order to do a good health check, we need to take a swab from the vagina and the cervix.

For adolescents and adults, a speculum may be used so the clinician can see the cervix and take swabs if needed. Only the tip of the speculum is inserted, and it is done gently and slowly.

If you are concerned about sexual abuse, feel you have been abused, need an examination, or would like to discuss your sexual health, it’s important to know that there is help available.

If you are in immediate danger call the Police on 111. You can call 111 from your cellphone even if you have no credit.

People can go to a sexual health clinic at whatever age and whether or not they have symptoms. If someone is under 16, the service is still confidential. Clinicians will explain the limits of confidentiality, particularly when there are concerns about safety.

If you are worried that a child may have been sexually abused, call Oranga Tamariki or the Police or see a doctor.

Note: External genitalia is commonly referred to as the ‘vagina’, although the correct term is actually the vulva. We’ll stick with vagina as that’s the term most people use.