Raped Abroad: What Happens If You're Sexually Assaulted on Vacation?

Women are more likely to be raped while traveling than while at home. (Photo: Sam Hurd Photography/Stocksy)

Earlier this week, five men were arrested in India and charged with the kidnapping and repeated brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old Japanese woman who they held captive for more than a month.

Reports now suggest that the men were part of an organized gang that specifically targets single female tourists.

For travelers planning a trip to India, or anywhere else in the world, stories like this are scary and worrisome.

Related: After Rape Claim Against Driver in India, We Ask: Is Uber Safe?

Amid the excitement of planning, booking, and embarking on an overseas journey, the idea of being raped is likely to be far from most people’s minds. But what happens if you are sexually assaulted while in a foreign country?

Where do you go if you are sexually assaulted while you are out of the country? (Photo: ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images/Getty Images)

Aside from the trauma of the attack itself, sexual assault brings with it a host of other complications, such as the possibility of pregnancy or contracting STDs. Combine this with a possible language barrier, inadequate knowledge of local resources to go to for help, and potential trouble communicating with friends and family back home, and victims are faced with a horrific predicament.

According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), one in 5 women (and one in 33 men) will become victims of rape or attempted rape in their lifetime. That is a higher risk than that of getting cancer, being involved in a car accident, or contracting malaria.

A frightening 2012 study of sexual assault by the European Institute of Studies on Prevention found that tourists are EIGHT times more likely to be raped while on vacation than at home.

Related: The Age of Uber: How Safe Are Ride-Share Car Services?

In the last two years there has been a visible increase in media reports of attacks occurring overseas. A British woman raped by a security guard in Egypt. An Italian tourist raped by police in Mexico. An American tourist raped in a store in Israel. All since 2013.

But considering that in the U.S. an estimated 54 percent of rapes are not reported to the police, when you add a foreign environment with inadequate rape response services, a victim is even less likely to report the attack.

So why are people at higher risk when traveling? And what do you do if you are attacked while overseas?

You need to be even more diligent about personal safety while traveling abroad. (Photo: Peter Zelei/E+/Getty Images)

Many travelers see being abroad as an excuse to live outside their usual boundaries, to experience different things and take up different opportunities from what they are likely to embark on at home. And in turn, they venture outside their normal comfort zone.

Related: Steady as She Goes — 7 Ways to Stay Safe on a Cruise

Alcohol also plays a significant role in many sexual assault cases. In fact, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, alcohol is the most common date rape drug. It is both accessible and socially accepted. Even more so when on vacation.

With side effects including sedation, confusion, lowered inhibitions, and eventually loss of consciousness, alcohol has the ability to incapacitate a victim, rendering her or him incapable of consent.

So fear mongering aside … what do you do if you are raped while abroad?

SASHAA (Sexual Assault Support & Help for Americans Abroad) is an incredible program that is part of the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center and was designed to provide advice and help to Americans who are sexually assaulted while in another country.

Their advice to victims of assault is as follows:

1. Get to a safe place and call someone safe to come and be with you.

2. If you cannot find a safe place, call someone safe to come and get you.

3. Collect any evidence. Put clothes, sheets, etc. into a plastic bag.

4. If there is semen present, try to collect it in a glass or cup and place it into the plastic bag.

5. If there are injuries, take pictures.

6. Call SASHAA internationally toll-free 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for further confidential advice and help.

Frighteningly, many international police departments do not react the same way to allegations of rape or sexual assault the way that we expect American authorities would.

Last year a Norwegian woman was jailed after reporting being raped in Dubai. She was later charged with unlawful sex (out of marriage) and making a false statement.

If you are unsure about the local laws or the legitimacy of the police department in the country you are visiting, call SASHAA or the local American Consulate first.

However, there are a few things travelers can do to protect themselves and minimize the risk of an attack:

1. Follow your gut. Many victims experience a feeling that something is wrong before an attack occurs.

2. It is OK to say no. You don’t have to be polite.

3. Stay with the person or group you are traveling with. If you are traveling alone, stay in populated areas.

4. Research before you go. Be aware of cultural norms in the country you are traveling to.

5. Don’t look like a tourist. Keep expensive camera equipment hidden, don’t open maps in the middle of the street, and wear clothing that blends in with the local surroundings. If everyone else is in long sleeves, wear long sleeves.

The truth is that sexual assault and rape are prevalent across the globe and sexual assault “knows no national or cultural barriers,” according to Amnesty International. People will be victims of crime both at home and abroad, and there is too much of this wonderful planet worth exploring to allow the fear of being attacked to stop people from taking foreign vacations.