Reporting sexual abuse in Virginia means telling an authority that can act on it: police, Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, a school’s Title IX office, an employer, or a professional licensing board. Each one does something different, and survivors can choose one, several or none. Getting medical care and confidential support does not require making any report at all.
Blank Kim Injury Law is a Fairfax injury firm that represents survivors in civil claims. We wrote this guide so survivors and families across Northern Virginia can see their options in one place. Attorney Robert Kim speaks Korean, and our paralegal team speaks Spanish.
Numbers to call
| Situation | Who to call | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger or a recent assault | Police and emergency services | 911 |
| A child is being abused or neglected | Virginia Child Protective Services hotline | 1-800-552-7096 |
| An older or incapacitated adult is being abused | Virginia Adult Protective Services hotline | 1-888-832-3858 |
| Support after sexual assault, at any age | RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline | 1-800-656-4673 |
| Someone is being trafficked | National Human Trafficking Hotline | 1-888-373-7888 |
The support hotlines are confidential and do not automatically notify police. Calls to CPS or APS start a protective investigation.
Getting medical care and a forensic exam
After a recent assault, medical care protects your health and can preserve evidence. Many hospital emergency departments in Northern Virginia can arrange a forensic exam performed by a nurse trained to care for sexual assault patients. A RAINN advocate can help you find one and often go with you.
- You can decline any part of the exam at any time.
- Evidence is most reliable when collected soon after an assault, but an exam can still help days later.
- If you can, avoid showering, changing clothes or throwing items away first. If you already have, still go.
- Getting an exam does not commit you to making a police report.
Reporting to police
A police report starts a criminal investigation that can lead to charges. Report to the police department where the abuse happened. In Northern Virginia that is usually the Fairfax County Police, a city or town department such as Alexandria or Fairfax City, the Arlington County Police, the Prince William or Loudoun County authorities, or a campus police department. On a military base or federal property, a federal agency may handle it.
You can bring a support person or advocate to the interview. Ask for the report number and the detective’s name. A criminal case is controlled by the prosecutor, not by you, and it is separate from a civil claim for compensation. Survivors can pursue either, both or neither.
Reporting abuse of a child or vulnerable adult
If a child has told you about abuse, stay calm, thank them for telling you, and do not press for details. Call Virginia CPS at 1-800-552-7096. Professionals such as teachers, doctors, nurses and social workers generally have legal duties to report suspected child abuse, but anyone can call.
For abuse of an older adult or an adult with a disability, including a resident of a nursing home or assisted living facility, call Adult Protective Services at 1-888-832-3858. Nursing homes are licensed by the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification, which also takes complaints. See our nursing home abuse page.
Reporting to schools, employers and licensing boards
- Colleges and universities. Every campus that receives federal funding, including George Mason University and Northern Virginia’s community colleges, has a Title IX office that handles reports of sexual misconduct and can arrange supportive measures such as housing or class changes. See university sexual abuse.
- K-12 schools. Report to the principal and to CPS. School staff are among those expected to report.
- Employers. Use the written harassment complaint process and keep a copy. See our page on sexual harassment.
- Health care providers and therapists. Licensing complaints go to the Virginia Department of Health Professions. See doctor and hospital abuse.
- Sports. Many Olympic-sport organizations accept reports through the U.S. Center for SafeSport. See coach and sports abuse.
- Rideshare trips. Apps have in-app safety reporting. See rideshare sexual assault.
Institutional reports matter because they put the organization on notice. What an institution knew, and when, is often central to a later civil claim.
Preserving evidence, whatever you decide
- Save texts, emails, social media messages and voicemails. Screenshot them and store copies somewhere the other person cannot reach.
- Write down what you remember, with dates and places, while it is fresh. Keep it private.
- Keep clothing or objects from a recent assault in a paper bag, not plastic.
- Note anyone you told afterward. Those conversations can become important evidence.
- Keep receipts, booking confirmations, schedules and photos that place people at a time and place.
- Do not confront the abuser or the institution directly; that can lead to deleted records.
Reporting and a civil claim
A civil claim asks the abuser, and often the institution that enabled the abuse, to compensate you. You do not have to report to police first, though reports and investigations can help. Virginia has special timing rules for sexual abuse claims, including special provisions for abuse in childhood in Va. Code § 8.01-243(D) and Va. Code § 8.01-249(6), which can differ from the ordinary two-year rule. Have an attorney check the dates. Our Virginia sexual abuse statute of limitations guide explains more.
If you want to talk through reporting before you decide, request a confidential case review. There is no obligation. Learn about our Virginia sexual abuse practice.
