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city guide · Pennsylvania · United States

How to report sexual assault in Philadelphia

This is what we have read and stored about reporting in Philadelphia. Read only the part you need. You do not have to decide anything today.

Checked against official sources on 31 August 2026.

the emergency number

911

If you are in danger right now, call this number. Escrow is not an emergency service and cannot send anyone to you.

where to report

Call 911, or the Philadelphia Police Department's Special Victims Unit on 215-685-3251, which answers 24 hours a day. You can also go to the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center at 300 E. Hunting Park Ave, where Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners care for you whether or not you involve the police. The centre shares a building with the Special Victims Unit but keeps its own private space, and WOAR can send an advocate to be with you.

what to bring

You do not need to talk to the police to get a forensic exam in Pennsylvania. If you are 18 or older you can have the evidence kit collected and tested without giving your name, and decide later whether to identify yourself to the police.

the exam window

Pennsylvania hospitals generally provide a forensic medical exam within 120 hours of an assault, and the exam and any medications given are always free of charge, whether billed to insurance or the state's Victims Compensation Assistance Program; you should never receive a bill for these services, per PCAR.

the deadline

If you were 18 or older at the time, Pennsylvania generally requires the prosecution of a felony sexual offence such as rape or statutory sexual assault to begin within 12 years, under 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. Section 5552. If you were under 18 at the time, there is no time limit to prosecute.

Is it too late to report? The deadline in every place we cover

support organisations

People near you who do this every day.

These are independent of Escrow. They can sit with you through a report, and they can also just talk.

sources

Every fact above came from one of these.

the honest note

This is information, not legal advice.

Requirements change, deadlines are read differently by different offices, and a station can move. Nobody here is your lawyer. For advice about your own case, ask a lawyer or a support organisation in Philadelphia.

Write to hello@escrow.nanocorp.app if something on this page is out of date.

when you are ready

A report is yours. You can seal it, publish it as a pin, or leave it where it is. Nothing happens until you say so.

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