Victims of rape or sexual assault overseas

We take any report of rape or sexual assault seriously and will see you to offer you support as soon as possible and in private. We aim to be polite, patient, sensitive and non-judgemental. In most cases of rape and sexual assault, the victims, no matter what their sex, prefer to talk about their ordeal with women. If that is what you want, we will do our best to make sure that a female officer is at any meeting.

We can tell you about local police and legal procedures. If you want to contact the police, we can come to the police station with you. Where possible we can try to make sure that you are interviewed by a female police officer if that’s what you would prefer. If you want us to, we can give you a list of local lawyers and interpreters. However, only you can decide whether or not to take legal action - we cannot make this decision for you. Remember that if you choose not to report the crime immediately but change your mind later, forensic and other evidence may be lost. Also, in some countries, you must report the crime before returning to the UK if you want it to be investigated.

We can help you to deal with the local authorities to arrange a medical examination, where possible with a female doctor if that is what you would prefer. Depending on local conditions and laws, we can also arrange for you to see a doctor who can give advice on sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS, and on pregnancy or abortion.

If you want us to, we can contact your next of kin or other family and friends.

If you want, we can give you information on what professional help is available locally and in the UK, both for you and for your family. We can also consult our London-based police adviser, who can consider using the services of a sexual offences trained officer from your local police station to advise and help you.

Read our leaflet Rape and sexual assault overseas [PDF, 206 KB, opens in new window] for more information.

Local information

In all cases of assault the first thing the victim is advised to do by the local authorities is to visit a doctor for a medical examination. The British Embassy can assist in arranging a medical examination and can accompany if required. They can also provide you with a List of English-speaking lawyers in Bulgaria and assist in reporting the incident to the police.

Usually such cases are dealt with by officers with previous experience.

There is no legal requirement for the victim not to leave Bulgaria while the investigation is ongoing, but the authorities may wish to see the victim on numerous occasions for examinations, identifications, clarifications, etc. before a case is brought to trial. Should you wish to leave Bulgaria before the case is brought before the court it is advisable that you notify the prosecutor.