Guidance

Lebanon: information for survivors of rape and sexual assault

Updated 6 October 2022

This information is provided to help British nationals make an informed decision about whether to seek medical advice or police assistance following a rape or sexual offence in Lebanon. It is intended to provide detailed information regarding engaging with foreign legal authorities and what help is available after making an allegation of such a crime.

For further information on support available in the UK, see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK.

First steps

First and foremost, the most important thing is your safety. There are options available to you should you require immediate assistance.

You can contact the Lebanese Police on 112 or ask for an ambulance by dialling 140. Some operators may not speak English and you may need to seek the assistance of an Arabic speaker to help you.

If you have travelled with a tour company, you can seek their assistance in getting the correct support and help in dealing with what has happened to you.

You can contact the British Embassy on (+961) (0) 1 960800. Staff are available 24/7 and are polite, patient, sensitive and non-judgmental. They will be able to provide you with information on local police and medical procedures and anything you tell them is treated strictest confidence. Embassy staff can contact your family or friends to seek further support for you if you wish, provide advice on likely next steps or any questions you may have. They are there to support you.

Seeking medical assistance

Most hospitals and medical centres in Lebanon have facilities for helping survivors of sexual assault. Following disclosure of an assault, a physician will ordinarily carry out an examination with an additional forensic examination completed by a certified forensic doctor (usually appointed by the police). If an allegation of sexual assault is disclosed during a visit to a hospital or other medical practitioner they are obliged to make available the results of that examination to the police should they request them.

The forensic examination will usually involve an internal examination to obtain evidence of a sexual act and a full external examination to obtain evidence of any force and/or violence. It may also be necessary to undertake swabs, DNA tests and STI testing.

The timescales for obtaining forensic evidence vary depending on the type of assault. For mouth or digital penetration the forensic time scale is usually two days, for anal penetration three days is usually the maximum and for vaginal penetration, the time scale is up to seven days. However the sooner an examination is carried out, the stronger the forensic evidence will be.

If you are concerned that you may have been exposed to any sexually transmitted infections then you should consider attending a hospital. There are a range of post-exposure treatments available. Emergency contraception can also be prescribed. You may need to pay for any prescriptions but can claim expenses back from your travel insurer.

If medication is prescribed, you may wish to keep a copy of the label or make a note of the name of the medication so that you can let your local health provider know.

If you choose not to report the incident but do receive medical treatment, local doctors are obliged under Lebanese law to report the incident to the police.

The embassy can provide you with a list of medical facilities in Lebanon.

Reporting the incident to police in Lebanon

Should you wish the incident to be investigated, you will need to report it to the Lebanese Police. We may be able to attend the police station (and hospital) with you, depending on the location and timing. Again, if you have a tour operator, they may be able to arrange for someone to support you.

If you approach the police directly yourself, you may wish to ask them to inform the British embassy if you have not already done so. This will enable the embassy to provide support. Alternatively, you may also wish to be accompanied by a friend or relative.

If you decide to report the matter then ideally this should be done as soon as possible after the assault to ensure that the forensic evidence can be retained. Try to avoid washing yourself or your clothes as it may make it more difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you change your clothes, consider taking the clothing you were wearing at the time of the offence to the police.

You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as clothes, toothbrushes, text messages, social media communication or any other evidence that might assist in the investigation process. Tell the police if you think you have been drugged and always ask for a copy of the police report.

Reporting the incident: what happens next?

The police will ask you whether you wish to file a complaint before the Public Prosecutor against the alleged suspect or against an unknown person where the perpetrator is unknown.

In Lebanon, the Public Prosecutor investigates the crime. This differs to the UK where this would be the role of the police. The police will ask you to make a statement about the incident and to provide any information that might be helpful in the investigation process, including but not limited to, the description of the attacker(s).

The police will ordinarily ask a forensic examiner to attend to the police station and, upon instruction from the Public Prosecutor, retain any item or items that may be used as evidence. Whilst speaking to the police you can request to talk to an officer of a particular gender if this would make you feel more comfortable. However, it cannot be guaranteed that one will be available. There may be English-speaking officers, but if not, you can request a court appointed/official to assist you with communication.

On reporting the crime, the Police will contact the Public Prosecutor for instructions. The Police may ask to take you to the scene of the crime or to the location of where you think the attacker may be present in order to help the police identify and arrest the perpetrator. If a suspect is identified and detained or arrested, you may be asked to make a formal identification.

Once a case has been filed, you will not need to remain in Lebanon.

If charged, the suspect will be taken to court and the Public Prosecutor will decide how to proceed after a preliminary investigation. The Public Prosecutor may request to speak to you in person.

Court procedures – what to expect

If there is a trial, the Court may require your testimony in person. The Lebanese Authorities will not automatically update you about your case so you will need to either request information in person or enlist the help of a lawyer who will be able to keep you updated and explain your rights and the legal procedures. You can find a list of lawyers based in Lebanon that are able to provide services in English here.

Legal aid is limited in Lebanon. Some firms however may provide a pro bono service though this would be their decision to make.

If you decide not to proceed with the case once reported, the Public Prosecutor and/or Court may decide to continue with the case in your absence. In these circumstances you will not be kept informed of progress. The Court can order the offender to pay compensation for any injuries or losses, either after they have been convicted in a criminal court or as a result of civil action if requested by a lawyer. However, the defendant can also press counter charges claiming false accusations.

There is no state-funded compensation scheme in Lebanon to cover physical or psychological injuries suffered as a result of a violent crime.

There is no time set by law for cases to come to trial. Some trials for similar offences have lasted years.

Choosing not to report the assault

If you choose not to report the assault, the Embassy can still help you. This includes helping you to contact your insurance company or family so they can provide support, helping with arrangements for travel back to the UK or elsewhere and/or providing you with information on further support, either in Lebanon or the UK. We can provide you with lists of English-speaking medical facilities, lawyers and translators or use our local knowledge and contacts to answer other questions you may have.

If you are travelling with a tour operator, you can still report the incident to them and ask them for assistance.

Returning to the UK

On return to the UK, you may want to let your GP or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre know what has happened to you so that you can talk about the experience and seek further support and advice.

If you believe you may be at risk of having contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), you should ask your local health provider to test you, even if previously tested in Lebanon. It is worth noting that the Lebanese police will not inform the UK police of the crime.

Reporting the incident to the police in the UK

If you decide not to report the crime in Lebanon, you can still do so on return to the UK. If both parties involved are British Nationals then under certain circumstances the police in the UK can investigate, charge and try the perpetrator in the United Kingdom despite the offence occurring in Lebanon.

If the perpetrator is not a British national the police can still investigate, but the likelihood of prosecution is further limited as except in very limited circumstances the UK police are unlikely to have jurisdiction to investigate a crime committed overseas by a foreign national. Please see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK for more information.

Support organisations in UK

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and our embassies work very closely with the Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre. The centre provides a support service for women and girls aged thirteen and over who have been raped, sexually assaulted or sexually abused at some point in their lifetime. Live Online Support is an online service that gives British survivors of sexual violence access to UK-based real time support from anywhere in the world, via Skype, FaceTime, Instant Messenger and email. More information is available on their website.

Support organisations in Lebanon

It is your choice to let people know. If you are ready to talk about it, the following organisations may be able to help.

• KAFA Beirut 24/7 Hotline: +961(3)018019 www.kafa.org.lb Psychological help, counselling, legal support, shelter

• Dar El Amal Sin El Fil +961(1)483 508 http://dar-alamal.org Psychological help, counselling, shelter

• HIMAYA Beirut, Southern & Norther Lebanon, Bekaa 24/7 Hotline: +961(3)414964 www.himaya.org Psychological help, counselling, legal support, shelter

• Lebanese Council to Resist Violence against women Beirut Tripoli 24/7 Hotline: +961(3)829809 www.lecorvaw.com Psychological help, counselling, legal support, shelter

Disclaimer: This information is provided by the British Government for the convenience of enquirers, but neither His Majesty’s Government nor any official of the Consulate accept liability for any loss or damage which you might suffer as a result of relying on the information supplied. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or legal advice.