SEEK THEN SPEAK offers sexual assault survivors and support people a way to privately gather information and explore options for medical care, supportive services, and reporting to police (SEEK). If they choose, survivors can then begin the process of reporting to police by completing a detailed, self-guided interview (SPEAK).
SEEK: Explore Options
SEEK provides critical information on:
Emphasis is placed on answering real-world questions survivors are likely to have about these options, including how to initiate the process, whether there are any costs involved, and whether they can bring a support person with them. An additional section of SEEK is designed for support people, providing concrete tips for how to respond to survivors in a helpful way.
SPEAK: Begin Reporting
SPEAK guides survivors through questions designed to gather critical information about their sexual assault. The program then generates a PDF report the survivor can give to law enforcement, as a first step toward investigating their sexual assault.
The interview also serves as an educational function, explaining why questions are asked, how the information will be used, and what the survivor’s rights are throughout the process. All this helps reduce anxiety, increase accuracy, and keeps survivors in the driver’s seat. Survivors are also better prepared to face the in-person interview and investigation, if they decide to provide the report to law enforcement.
CREATE PDF REPORT
Survivors can access SEEK THEN SPEAK from any computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. If they begin the process of reporting in SPEAK, the program generates a PDF the survivor can provide to law enforcement.
Survivors can download this PDF to their own device, and either:
(1) Save it for later
(3) Email it to the police department
(2) Print it (either to give to police or simply to store while they decide), or
(4) Give to a sexual assault advocacy center to submit to police on their behalf.
SPEAK does not save any information provided by survivors; all data are deleted following report generation.
INCREASING ACCESS
Survivors can complete the self-guided interview in SPEAK in more than 100 languages, and the clean user interface and screen-reading capabilities increase access for survivors with disabilities. This means survivors can begin reporting their sexual assault from home or other location of their choice, whenever they are ready.
Law enforcement, health care, and other professionals can also offer victims the option of using SEEK THEN SPEAK to begin reporting anytime they are waiting for services or when interpretive services are unavailable. Because the translation is browser-based, the report is generated in the language the survivor used. The questions are printed in English, but responses appear in the survivor’s language.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
EVAWI created SEEK THEN SPEAK as a new pathway to justice for sexual assault survivors. To get started, go to seekthenspeak.app or click on the graphic. If your agency is interested in offering this innovative tool, please contact us at SeekThenSpeak@evawintl.org.
SEEK THEN SPEAK is brought to you by End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI), and technology partner VictimsVoice. The project is partially funded with an American Bar Endowment (ABE) Opportunity Grant.
