Email Your Guide

Like all the Guides at About.com, I'm a real person. You can email me at incestabuse.guide@about.com.

Join us in the forum! You'll find advice, support, and understanding from professionals and survivors to help you deal with your experience and start on the road to healing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Where can I find a Hotline number for help?

A. There are Hotlines available all over the world, most staffed 24/7 by trained advocates. To find numbers in the United States, visit The National Domestic Violence Hotline Website. For international help, visit International Hotlines. You can also visit the list of Hotlines I have collected.

Q. How do I obtain a restraining order?

A. Statutes about this issue vary by location, but a good place to start is to call the hotline number for your area. The advocates who staff those lines will know of crisis centers near you where you can go for help. Having a professional guide you through the legal process of obtaining a restraining order will greatly increase your chances of succeeding and legally protecting yourself.

Q. I have just been sexually assaulted. What do I do?

A. Call 9-1-1! Get an ambulance to take you to the hospital and ask the police to call a rape crisis hotline. They will ask if you would like a trained advocate or counselor to meet you at the hospital to help you through the process of the medical exam and help you decide legal issues.

Q. My friend has been raped. How can I help?

A.Visit Family/Friends in my Subject list for sites that will tell you things to say and not say. You'll also learn supportive ways of listening and being there for your friend.