Violence
Procedure in the case of an assault
If you have been attacked and your personal integrity; physical, psychological or sexual; has been violated, then you should immediately take the following steps:
Medical attention
Seek immediate medical help (emergency departments, your GP, 24 hour health centres).
If required seek psychological advice psychological advice
Safety
Contact the police, ask friends and neighbours for help, get in touch with Checkpoint. Maybe even seek protection from a refuge centre, change your door locks.
Collect all aggressional evidence
Proof
Collect all evidence concerning the act of aggression and undertake everything in order to retain clues. Undergo a medical check and have a medical report issued with a detailed account of your physical and psychological injuries.
Press charges / File a lawsuit
Inform the police of the assault! Violent criminals take advantage of the fear and shame felt by gays and assume that no charges will be brought against them and that they will get off scot free. Reporting the aggression and in talking about it, in ones personal, aswell as professional environment, helps to overcome the assault.
Many acts of violence are criminal offences. The police must, in any case, follow things up when they are informed of them, regardless of whether someone decides to press charges or not. The offences include, murder, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, kidnapping, imprisonment, violation of sexual integrity, etc.
Further information on this subject
The victim support groups are responsible for the support of victims in accordance with the victim support law.
The victim support institutions of Basel and Zürich are, in the Cantons Basel, respectively Zurich, responsible for victims of sexual violence amongst men and homophobic violence.
Zurich: Opferberatung Zürich
Basel: Opferhilfe beider Basel