David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
National Sexual Assault Online Hotline
What is the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline?
The National Sexual Assault Online Hotline is a free, confidential, secure service that provides live help over the RAINN website.
Who should use the Online Hotline?
It works just like instant messaging. You'll go into a private session with a trained volunteer and communicate, live, by typing messages back and forth. The service is completely anonymous, and you do not have to give your name or any personal information.
Who provides the help?
Online Hotline services are provided by RAINN and local rape crisis centers across the US, with the help of hundreds of trained volunteers. All trained volunteers have successfully completed state-mandated training and receive ongoing supervision from their local center. Online Hotline supervisors monitor sessions for quality control.
Does the Online Hotline provide ongoing help?
The Online Hotline provides immediate crisis help and information about recovery and prosecution. If you need ongoing help, your trained volunteer will connect you to your local rape crisis center, which provides free individual and group support sessions and other services. You can always reach your local rape crisis center directly by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE.
Which web browsers will work with the Online Hotline?
One of the browsers below is needed to use the Online Hotline messaging service:
What is the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline?
The National Sexual Assault Online Hotline is a free, confidential, secure service that provides live help over the RAINN website.
Who should use the Online Hotline?
- Victims of sexual assault (whether their attack took place today or decades ago)
- Spouses, family members, and partners of victims
- Friends of victims
- Crisis intervention and support
- Answers to your questions about recovering from sexual assault
- Information about medical issues
- Explanations of the criminal justice system, and what to expect when you report the crime to the police
- Referrals to resources in your area
- Information for family and friends of victims
It works just like instant messaging. You'll go into a private session with a trained volunteer and communicate, live, by typing messages back and forth. The service is completely anonymous, and you do not have to give your name or any personal information.
Who provides the help?
Online Hotline services are provided by RAINN and local rape crisis centers across the US, with the help of hundreds of trained volunteers. All trained volunteers have successfully completed state-mandated training and receive ongoing supervision from their local center. Online Hotline supervisors monitor sessions for quality control.
Does the Online Hotline provide ongoing help?
The Online Hotline provides immediate crisis help and information about recovery and prosecution. If you need ongoing help, your trained volunteer will connect you to your local rape crisis center, which provides free individual and group support sessions and other services. You can always reach your local rape crisis center directly by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE.
Which web browsers will work with the Online Hotline?
One of the browsers below is needed to use the Online Hotline messaging service:
- Firefox (Windows or Mac)
- Opera 7+ (Windows)
- Mozilla (Windows)
- Internet Explorer 6+ (Windows)
- Netscape 6+ (Windows)
- AOL 9.0 (Windows)
