Seri Support Center for Victims of Sexual Assault

The Seri Support Center at Women's Hospital is a support unit for people over 16 years of age, regardless of gender, who have experienced sexual violence. We offer a low-threshold service that you can seek out yourself, with relatives or under the guidance of a public authority within a month of your traumatic experience.

If more than a month has passed from the event, you can seek help from the health center in your area, a family guidance center, a municipal sexual counsellor, or through various organizations. Filing a report on the offence is not a condition for treatment, although we encourage it. The abbreviation of the Seri Support Center comes from the Finnish words for sexual offence (seksuaalirikos).

We answer the emergency service phone calls and take care of urgent matters 24 hours a day, also on weekends. Children under the age of 16 will be treated at the emergency department of the New Children's Hospital.

Frequently asked questions

On the first visit, we talk with to you about what happened. We may take blood and urine samples to check for sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, we will take samples to check for DNA, even if you have not filed a crime report.

If needed, we will provide you with an emergency contraceptive and hepatitis B vaccine. We will also make sure that you find a safe place to stay. If you need further treatment at another hospital, we will make sure that you get there.

Generally, we also want to make sure that you continue to receive emotional support and will book an appointment for you with one of our psychologists or social workers. All our services are voluntary and free of charge.

Samples to screen for sexually transmitted and blood-borne diseases (e.g. blood and urine samples)
Forensic toxicology samples (to check for date-rape drugs)
Forensic samples (i.e. DNA samples)

All test samples are voluntary and free of charge for you. Samples for forensic tests and tests to identify knockout drops will be delivered to the police after a report is filed. The police will examine the samples in their laboratory. The Seri Support Center will never receive these test results.

If you have not filed a report with the police, the samples are collected in case you wish to do so later and stored at the Seri Support Center. The samples will only be forwarded to the police if you file a police report. Sexual assault usually leaves no visible signs on the body. If you are unsure whether intercourse has taken place, a gynecological examination will not provide an answer.

Bring with you a photo ID (passport, driving license or ID card). If your first visit takes places shortly after the sexual assault, do not wash yourself or change your clothes before coming to the Seri Support Center. However, washing or changing clothes after a sexual assault are not obstacles to taking forensic samples. Bring with you the underpants you were wearing after the sexual assault, unwashed.

The first visit usually takes several hours. If you wish, you can ask a friend or someone else to accompany you.

You don’t have to file a crime report before coming to the support center. If you wish and with your permission, we can notify the police of the crime, in which case the police may come to the support center to interview you.

You can also think matters over and file a crime report later. In this case, the forensic samples taken will be stored at the support center.

In the case of minors, we will always file a crime report, as required by the law, unless one has already been filed.

If you wish to file a crime report right after the incident, the easiest way to do so is to call the emergency response center. If time has passed since the crime, you can go to the nearest police station at any time to file a report.

If you wish, the Seri Support Center employees can also notify the police about the incident. In most cases, the police will come to the support center to receive the report.

If needed, we can book the clients of the Seri Support Center an appointment with a psychologist, social worker or hospital chaplain. If required, we can also offer counseling and support visits to the loved ones of people who have been sexually assaulted.

We will support you in your initial recovery and assess the need for further care. If needed, we will also guide you in seeking further support elsewhere. Conversational support is available in Finnish, Swedish and English, as well as in other languages through an interpreter. Psychosocial support visits are voluntary and free of charge.

Support is also available from many organizations and associations:

Maisa Portal (opens in new window, links to another website)

MAISA.FI

You can use our online services by signing in to the Maisa Portal. Once your treatment with us begins, you will receive information on the services you can access in Maisa. These include appointment booking and preliminary information forms, for example.