Helplines in Slovakia.

Are you experiencing sexual abuse, assault or harassment? Contact a free hotline in Slovakia for confidential support

Regardless of whether you're a woman, man or child in Slovakia, if someone has used coercion, power or force to make you engage in unwanted sexual activity, you were a victim of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is a form of sexual violence, which is any sexual activity without consent. Other forms of sexual violence are sexual assault, such as rape and unwanted touching, and sexual harassment, which is unwelcome sexual behavior.

If you’re struggling with sexual abuse, assault or harassment, there are 5 hotlines in Slovakia you can contact. Everyone’s experience is unique, as well as the path towards recovery. However, hotline volunteers could help you for free if you are experiencing or have experienced:

Examples of sexual violence:

• Being spoken to in a sexual way that you find offensive or degrading
• Being used sexually while you were very drunk, drugged, unconscious, or unable to say NO
• Catcalls and whistles that make you feel uncomfortable or objectified
• An organ or an object being put into your vagina (rape), or anus or mouth (sodomy), without your consent
• Repeated unwanted sexual attention or advances, including in your workplace or by your employer
• Being forced or coerced to have sex without protection from sexually transmitted diseases
• Being exposed to a violent, hurtful sexual act without your permission
• Being filmed or photographed nude or in a sexually explicit way without your permission

Effects of sexual violence:

• Feeling as if everyone could see what happened to you
• Engaging in self-harm or self-mutilation
• An urge to use alcohol, drugs, or gamble excessively
• Feeling unsafe and scared that it would happen again
• A decline in your physical and mental health
• Not being able to fall or stay asleep
• Feeling overwhelmed with a range of emotions, like anger, fear, numbness
• Changes (either loss or increase) in your appetite

As a victim of sexual violence you could be feeling furious, desperate, revengeful, hopeless, and empty, all at the same time. This is a perfectly normal response to such a traumatizing event.

When you’re on your path to surviving sexual violence and its aftermath, it helps to know that there are people who can relate. People in Slovakia who went through similar experiences could make your recovery easier and quicker.

If you are victim of sexual abuse, assault or harassment, consider contacting a helpline in Slovakia for free, confidential help.