Contact the 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line

If you've experienced sexual violence, our specialist team is here for you, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

🤟 Deaf or hard of hearing? Our BSL interpretation service is now available.

Call free on 0808 500 2222

We will listen to you, believe you and reassure you that it was not your fault.

Anyone, of any gender, is welcome to contact the Support Line – even if you're not sure what happened, can't remember everything or don't have the words to describe it.

The 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line is not an emergency service. If you feel unsafe or need urgent medical help, please call 999.

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It was not your fault

Whatever happened, you are not to blame. The responsibility always lies with the person who carried out the sexual violence or abuse – never with you.

The 24/7 Support Line is run by Rape Crisis England & Wales, the feminist charity working to end child sexual abuse, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and all other forms of sexual violence.

Who can contact the Support Line?

Anyone, of any gender aged 16 or over living in England or Wales who has experienced sexual violence, abuse or harassment at any time in their life can contact us.

We also support people with loved ones who've experienced sexual violence, abuse or harassment.

Please get in touch now – even if you're not sure what to say, or it happened a long time ago.

ℹ️ If you live outside England or Wales, or you're under the age of 16, help is still available – find a service in the Support Line directory.

A middle-aged man looks directly at the camera.

When is the 24/7 Support Line open?

Our specialist team is available now.

🕒 The Support Line is always open, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round - even Christmas Day.

You can get in touch with our specialist team by phoning 0808 500 2222 free, or starting an online chat by clicking the purple "chat now" button.

A female call operator

What will happen when I contact the Support Line?

When you contact us, we'll connect you with a member of our specialist team.

During busy periods, you might have to wait until a member of our specialist team is available. You'll hear or read an automated message that explains you are in a queue.

Once your conversation begins, we will listen to you, believe you, and answer any questions you might have.

Our specialist team can:

  • 󠁏󠁏listen and offer emotional support
  • 󠁏󠁏help you understand what happened
  • help you think about what you might want to do next, if anything
  • support you through difficult times
  • give you information about longer-term support, such as counselling or therapy

You will always be in control

What we talk about will be completely up to you, and you don't have to share any details or information you're not comfortable sharing.

The conversation will be confidential and stay between you and the person you are talking to, except in rare cases.

When your conversation is coming to an end

  • Calls can last up for to 40 minutes.
  • Online chats can last for up to 45 minutes - the extra five minutes are to account for typing and reading.

This helps us make sure as many people as possible can get through to the Support Line.

You can end your conversation whenever you want, but if you are coming to the end of your time, your specialist team member will let you know in advance, and ensure you have any information about further support if you need it.

Specialist team members will never end your conversation unexpectedly, for example because their shift has ended.

After your conversation has ended, we won't keep anything you've told us on file. If you contact us again, you won't speak to the same person.

More choice in who you speak to

  • If you need a foreign language interpreter, you can request this from the specialist team member once you are connected.
  • From October 5 2026, if you contact us between 8pm and midnight, you will be asked if you prefer to speak with a female or male specialist team member. We'll do our best to meet your preference, but we can't guarantee that your preferred specialist team member will be available.
Online chat

When you connect with us through our online chat, you'll always be communicating with a real person – we don't use bots or AI.

There may also be pauses between messages as your specialist team member reads your messages and types a response.

Our online chat specialists only ever support one person at a time, so delays do not mean they are speaking with multiple people.

An illustration of a phone

"Hello, I'm Sally.

I'm a member of the Support Line's specialist team. Every day, I speak to people who have experienced rape or sexual violence. My team and I are here to listen to you, believe you and understand how difficult it can be to talk about what has happened.

You don't need to have all the words or know what you want to do next. We’ll listen without judgement and support you at your own pace. We really want to hear from you, and we'll never think you're wasting our time."

Your privacy

We keep everything you say completely confidential, except in rare cases.

Your conversation is anonymous and confidential, so you won't have to share your name, where you live, or any other identifying details.

We won't share what you tell us, unless we believe that you or someone else, including a child, could be at immediate risk of significant harm, and us sharing this information could help keep you or them safe.

This is called safeguarding, and is explained in more detail in our FAQs.

🤟 BSL interpretation service

If you're using our BSL service, your interpreter will be able to see you. This is explained in detail on our BSL service page.

Find out more about your privacy
A young woman sits on a sofa talking on the phone.

Supporting someone you know

You can contact the Support Line if someone you care about has experienced sexual violence, abuse or harassment.

We have helpful resources available for people supporting loved ones who have experienced rape or other forms of sexual violence or abuse. You can access these, and more resources on the Rape Crisis website.

A guide to supporting loved ones - Useful advice for supporting someone

Self-help tools for people who have experienced sexual violence - You may like to share these resources with someone who needs support.

Self-care tips- Supporting someone you love can be distressing. These tips can help you look after yourself too.

A non-binary person with a curl of blue hair looks into the distance

Do you need medical support after rape or sexual assault?

Sexual Assault Referral Centres provide specialist medical and practical support to people who have recently experienced rape or sexual assault.

You can visit a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, sometimes called SARCs, whether or not you want to report it to the police. The SARC can store evidence they collect in case you do want to report in the future.

We have more information about SARCs available on the Rape Crisis website.

A woman contemplatively looking out

More resources

Contact us now

The Support Line is open all day, every day. Speak with a member of our specialist team now, or access the Support Line in BSL.

Call 0808 500 2222 free

Click to call us

Make your voice heard

Have feedback about the Support Line, this website, or something else? We'd appreciate hearing from you. Email us at info@rapecrisis.org.uk.

Survivor Reference Group

Our Survivor Reference Group brings together 10 to 15 people who have experienced rape or sexual violence to share their experiences and help shape the Support Line service.

The group will launch in October 2026, so please check back soon to find out more.