Sexual Assault Support for the DoD Community

For over a decade, the DoD Safe Helpline has served more than 204,000 visitors by providing them support and advice on their path to healing from sexual assault. DoD Safe Helpline is a secure, confidential, and anonymous crisis support service specially designed for members of the DoD community affected by sexual assault. Safe Helpline can provide an anonymous and confidential space where survivors can connect to get answers to their questions about the process and help to ensure they can make an informed decision about next steps. Learn more about how Safe Helpline has supported Service members, their families, and other members of the military community for over 10 years here.

Safe Helpline is available 24/7, worldwide. Safe Helpline staff provides live, one-on-one support to survivors, their families, and other DoD stakeholders. Staff receive highly specialized training on providing help to members of the military community. All Safe Helpline services are secure, confidential, anonymous, and available worldwide—providing survivors with the help they need, anytime, anywhere.

Safe Helpline is operated by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), a national anti-sexual violence organization, on behalf of DoD SAPRO. Safe Helpline is required to keep all interactions confidential, so no personally-identifying information will ever be shared with DoD or your chain of command.

Who can use Safe Helpline?

The services provided by Safe Helpline are available to the DoD community consistent with DoD SAPR Policy, including:

• Adult Service members in the Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Component as well as Coast Guard and Transitioning Service members, and their dependents 18 years of age and older.
  • In cases where a) adult military dependent sexual assault victims who are assaulted by a spouse or intimate partner and b) military dependents 17 years of age and younger are sexual assault victims, they receive services related to sexual assault through the The Family Advocacy Program (FAP);
• DoD civilian employees and their family dependents 18 years of age and older when they are stationed or performing duties outside of the United States; and
• U.S. citizen DoD contractor personnel when they are authorized to accompany Armed Forces in a contingency operation OCONUS and their U.S. citizen employees. Safe Helpline adheres to state mandatory reporting laws concerning persons under the age of 18 and the elderly.

How can I talk about Safe Helpline on my base/installation?

Order or download posters, postcards, brochures, and more from DoD Safe Helpline by visiting shop.safehelpline.org.View Safe Helpline’s outreach toolkit for ideas on how to talk about Safe Helpline here, including sample social media posts, newsletter text, and marketing materials, among others.

Why was Safe Helpline established?

Research indicates that when sexual assault victims receive support, system confidence builds and this in turn increases the likelihood that victims will report the crime. Safe Helpline provides a clear channel for members of the DoD community to receive the care they need in a secure, confidential, and anonymous support platform.

How to connect with Safe Helpline?

Users have multiple ways to get confidential support.

	Safe Helpline provides live, confidential help over the phone — just call 877-995-5247. The phone number is the same in the U.S. and worldwide via DSN.
	Safe Helpline provides live, confidential, one-on-one help through a secure instant-messaging platform at Safehelpline.org. The website also contains vital information about recovering from and reporting a sexual assault and transitioning service members.
	Safe HelpRoom is an online group support service that allows survivors of sexual assault in the military to connect with and support one another in a moderated and secure online environment at SafeHelpRoom.org.
	Create a personalized self-care plan, try out the supportive exercises, or call us with just a wifi connection. Download the app for free on the App Store or in the Google Play Store.
	Find your local sexual assault response coordinator and other sources of help on-base. Just text your Zip code or installation/base name to 55-247 (in the U.S.) or 202-470-5546 (outside the U.S.), or search at SafehelpLine.org.
	Free courses are available to help you in your recovery, or help you support a friend or colleague. Visit https://safehelpline.org/education.

Have a comment, compliment, or complaint about the services on your installation/base? Let us know.

If you’ve witnessed or experienced retaliation following a report of sexual assault, you can share the allegations to SAPRO anonymously or with personal contact information using this form.