Collecting evidence promptly is crucial for those experiencing violence.
In cases of domestic violence, there are often no eyewitnesses. Write everything down and talk to trusted people or professionals. They could help you later to make the experience credible to institutions (such as the youth welfare office, immigration authorities) or the police and court.One of the most important pieces of evidence is the medical documentation of all injuries and the preservation of evidence after sexual violence.
It is a good idea to visit a doctor, a hospital emergency centre, a violence protection outpatient clinic or a forensic institute as soon as possible to have physical injuries or traces of sexual violence documented and treated.
If physical or sexual violence has happened recently, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible. This is mainly to take care of your health.
It is advisable to seek medical advice no matter what form of violence you have experienced, even if your injuries are minor and do not require medical attention. Even mental symptoms can be an indication of violence. It is vital as concussions, internal injuries after sexual violence and many other injuries can be invisible.
The link between injuries, symptoms, and violence can be very difficult to verify without going to the doctor.
Many injuries usually heal without leaving any traces, so medical documentation should be obtained promptly.
All healthcare professionals have a duty of confidentiality. Doctors and nurses don't always ask about the injuries, but for the medical documentation, you should honestly tell your doctor who caused the injuries and when. Also, tell them how you are feeling mentally because psychological symptoms can also be an indication of violence. Please note that the traces of sexual abuse can often only be verified by a doctor.
It is advised that you should visit a professional to discuss any experiences of violence. This can also include psychotherapists.
Systematically collected medical documentation, your own continuous notes, consistent descriptions of events witnessed by friends/relatives/neighbours, therapist and doctor statements, photos, videos, and reports of potential eyewitnesses, authorities' reports, etc., create an overall picture. This helps to make the violence you experienced credible. You should, therefore, start collecting such evidence as soon as possible, even if you do not yet know whether you will ever need or use it (e.g. for the police, the court, the youth welfare office, the immigration office, etc.).
Unfortunately, violence often occurs regularly, over a long time, in which case accumulated medical documentation can be used to prove the consistency and time frame of assaults. Even if you don't need them now, you can keep them for later use.
Consider the well-being of your pets as well. If the perpetrator inflicts violence on them, having a veterinarian verify their injuries can serve as evidence of violence.
It is essential to see a doctor, no matter what form of violence you have experienced. Even mental symptoms can also be an indication of violence. The link between injuries, symptoms, and violence can be very difficult to verify without going to the doctor. Concussions and many other injuries can be invisible on the surface.
Remember, a certificate of physical injury cannot be obtained retrospectively.