Information for Leadership

As a leader, knowing how to respond swiftly, appropriately, and sensitively to sexual assault in your unit is important to Dogtags icon

protect the survivor and ensure a positive and cohesive command climate is maintained. Safe Helpline is available to support your efforts.

Why Safe Helpline?

Anonymous, Confidential, Secure: Safe Helpline provides confidential, anonymous, support to anyone impacted by sexual assault in the DoD community.

Crisis Intervention and Referral Resource: Safe Helpline staff are uniquely trained to provide specialized support to survivors in the military and can connect Service members with resources in their community.

Always Available: Safe Helpline’s wide range of services are available 24/7, worldwide to ensure survivors can always access support, even when other options are not open or available.

Information for Leadership - FAQ

Know Your Responsibilities

Per DoD policy, there are requirements that must be met to ensure the health and safety of survivors and to maintain unit cohesion through a positive command climate if sexual assault occurs or is reported at your unit. DoDI 6495.02 outlines in detail Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program Procedures for the Department. Additionally, each Service and National Guard Bureau (NGB) has a policy on sexual assault. Links to Service and NGB-specific policy, guidance, and resources can be found below. For additional information, you can also contact your local Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC).

Service members have two reporting options: Restricted and Unrestricted. If a Service member discloses sexual assault to their chain of command or military law enforcement, then they can only file an Unrestricted Report. DoD SAPRO outlines the process for both reporting options in a step-by-step guide. This guide contains important information on how to maintain a survivor’s safety and privacy throughout the reporting process. You can access the guide here.

Survivors of sexual assault shall be protected from coercion, retaliation, and reprisal in accordance with DoDI 6495.02. Retaliation can unjustly harm the lives and careers of survivors, bystanders, and responders. Retaliation has no place in the military and you must do your part to ensure an ethical and just command intolerant of such behavior. For more information about retaliation, including reporting resources for survivors go here.

To help ensure a comprehensive and appropriate response, DoD SAPRO has compiled a checklist of what should happen within the first 30 days of a survivor’s disclosure of sexual assault. You can access the checklist here.

Throughout the military investigative and justice process, Service members who make an Unrestricted Report of sexual assault are entitled to certain rights. To learn more about these rights, please go here.

Understand the Effects of Sexual Assault

It is important to understand that survivors may exhibit different behaviors in the days, months, and even years after an assault. Survivors may not be able to operate at their full capacity after an assault, but with appropriate support and resources, survivors of sexual assault can heal after what happened.

A survivor may experience some of the follow after sexual assault. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and a survivor may exhibit all, some, or none of these behaviors.

Anxiety
Mood swings
A sense of helplessness
Fear or phobia
Depression
Rage
Difficulty sleeping
Eating difficulties
Denial
Withdrawal from others
Difficulty concentrating
Flashbacks
Dissociation
Self-Harm
Suicide

Additionally, research has shown that experiencing trauma can have significant effects on the brain, including how it takes in and processes information. These effects may also cause a survivor to react in a certain way during the event, or hold onto memories in a different way, which can last days, weeks, and even years after the assault. You can read more about symptoms and behaviors, as well as how trauma affects the brain here, or by contacting Safe Helpline.

Learn Tips for Talking to a Survivor

Knowing what to say after a survivor has disclosed an assault can be difficult. While there is no one “right” thing to say to a survivor, an empathetic response to their disclosure is crucial. Here are some responses to let a survivor know that you support them:

“I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Showing a survivor empathy can build rapport and trust between you and the survivor.

“I’m here to help you get support.” A survivor trusted you and shared what happened to them. Let them know that you are there to ensure their safety and will respect their privacy.

“How can I help?” Let the survivor know that you are there for them. Ask them how you can help can put decisions into their hands and help them feel more in control about what is happening. However, it is also important to be clear about your role, any limitations you may have, and other avenues of support available to them.

This is not a comprehensive list of what you can say to a survivor to show empathy. Commanders can find tips on what to say and what not to say to survivors of sexual violence in the Safe Helpline self-paced course, How to Support a Survivor, or by reviewing the information on this webpage.

What is Safe Helpline?

Established in 2011, Safe Helpline is the Department of Defense’s (DoD) sole hotline for members of the DoD community affected by sexual assault. Safe Helpline is a completely anonymous, confidential, 24/7, specialized service—providing help and information anytime, anywhere. A Safe Helpline user can access one-on-one support, information, resources, and self-care exercises 24/7 to aid in their recovery. Users can also access peer support throughout each month with Safe HelpRoom’s topic-specific sessions.

Telephone Helpline

Our highly trained Safe Helpline staff are available to answer your questions, provide resources and get you contact information for a variety of on-base and off-base resources. You can connect with a staff member by calling 877-995-5247.

Online Helpline

The Online Helpline, an anonymous online platform, provides the same services as the Telephone Helpline described above. You can access the anonymous Online Helpline 24/7 by logging on to our website at safehelpline.org or connecting through the Safe Helpline app.

Safe Helpline Responder Database

The Responder Database consists of more than 2,500 military and civilian resources around the world, searchable by installation name or zip code. The database can help you find contact information for responders, even if they are not on your installation, associated with your Service, or in your local community.

Safe Helpline App

The Safe Helpline app gives you access to the Telephone and Online Helplines, peer-to-peer support through the Safe HelpRoom, the Responder Database, and has interactive self-care exercises. The app may be especially helpful if your unit is deployed. Safe Helpline uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to enable free access to the Telephone Helpline directly from the app and was specifically designed for members of the DoD community stationed OCONUS. This technology allows you to access Safe Helpline without the need for calling cards, expensive international phone plans, or having to use DSN, and instead allows you to call using only a WiFi connection. It also ensures that use of the Telephone Helpline does not show up on your cell phone bill or call history. The app is free and available to download on iOS and Android devices.

Self-Paced Education Programs

It's important that you can provide members of your unit with more information about sexual assault, how to support a survivor, and resources to help with the healing process. Safe Helpline offers unique, self-paced, programs to help those seeking support or information related to sexual assault. On average, each course should take approximately one hour to complete. Each course was built with a particular audience in mind, but all courses are available for anyone to take at any time. All courses can be accessed anonymously through the Safe Helpline website here.

Safe Helpline Military Feedback Form

Anyone who wants to comment or provide feedback about Safe Helpline, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response personnel, or wants to report retaliation can submit directly to personnel at the DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO). For those reporting retaliation, SAPRO personnel will forward your report to the Department of Defense Inspector General. You can access the Military Feedback Form here.

Safe Helpline Brief for Leadership

Leveraging Safe Helpline to Support Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Efforts: A Brief for Leadership (Safe Helpline 103 brief) is 1 hour, and awards 1 continuing education unit for D-SAACP, and provides a high-level overview of Safe Helpline, how Safe Helpline supports the work of SAPR and SHARP teams on-base, and ways leadership can leverage Safe Helpline resources to support survivors of sexual assault. This brief is intended for leadership who are interested in raising awareness about services available and supporting survivors on base. The Safe Helpline 103 brief covers:

The key tenets of Safe Helpline, including services available to support survivors, staff training, and the importance of anonymity and confidentiality
How Safe Helpline services are supporting Service members and the SAPR personnel on your base
Resources available for leadership to support survivors of sexual assault through the Safe Helpline

To schedule a brief, please email outreach@safehelpline.org.

Other Resources

The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute has created a strategy to guide you in creating and maintaining a culture of prevention, response and support and how to intervene should issues arise. You can read more tips on how to create that culture here.

The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program has a wealth of resources available to support victims of sexual assault. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of each of these responders, as well as at what point each responder may be involved in a case is incredibly important. DoD SAPRO has put together a response flowchart which you can access here.

DoD SAPRO

Army SHARP

Marines SAPR

Navy SAPR

National Guard SAPR

Air Force SAPR

Coast Guard SAPR

Was the information on this page helpful?