Do you have to report to the police first?

No. You can speak to a lawyer, go to a referral centre, or call a helpline without ever reporting to the police. Reporting is a separate decision, and it is entirely yours to make, whenever, if ever, you decide to make it.

What a lawyer can tell you without a report on file

• What your options actually are, given what happened and where.
• Roughly what evidence tends to matter, so you can decide what to preserve even before deciding whether to use it.
• How much time you realistically have. Time limits differ by offence and by state, and some do not expire at all.
• What reporting would involve in practice, step by step, before you commit to any of it.

Why people wait, or choose not to report

Fear of not being believed, fear of the person finding out, not wanting the process itself, or simply not being ready, are all common, ordinary reasons. None of them disqualify you from getting legal advice or medical care in the meantime.

If it happened a long time ago

Still worth asking. Some offences have no time limit at all, and even where limits exist, a lawyer can tell you where you stand in a single conversation, whether that conversation happens today or years from now.

If you decide to report

A lawyer can go through what to expect before you do it, not after. That includes who you would speak to, what you would be asked, and what happens to the report once it is filed.

Whatever you decide, a lawyer listed here can talk it through with you first, on your own terms, before anything is filed anywhere.