Guidance

Oman: information for victims of rape and sexual assault abroad

Updated 19 August 2024

Disclaimer

This information is provided to help British nationals overseas make decisions about whether and how to seek medical advice and attention, report to local police, and engage with foreign legal authorities following a rape or other form of sexual assault overseas.

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.

Medical information has been provided by The Havens Sexual Assault Referral Centres of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Rowan SARC NI and was accurate at the time of production.

For information on support available in the UK, see rape and sexual assault: returning to the UK guide.

First steps

It is your choice about what you do next, but this information may help you in coming to a decision. The most important thing is to make sure that you are as safe as you can be. You can:

• if you are in immediate danger and unsafe at the moment, contact the local police on 9999. If you are unsure about doing this, please call the British Embassy
• if you have a tour operator or a visa sponsor, you may wish to contact them as they may be able to arrange for someone to support
• contact your nearest British Embassy. We will be polite, patient, sensitive and non-judgmental, and can provide information on local police and medical procedures. Anything you tell us will be treated in the strictest confidence. We can contact your family or friends for you, if you wish

British Embassy Muscat

Tel: +968 24609000 and select option 2

Seek legal advice from a local lawyer.

If you do not want to report the incident to the police in Oman

The British Embassy will be able to help you. This includes:

• helping you to contact your insurance company and your family
• making arrangements to help you travel back to the UK
• providing you with information on local support in the UK
• providing you with lists of English-speaking medical facilities, lawyers and translators.

If you are travelling with a tour operator, you may wish to report the incident to them and ask them for assistance. Where possible and if you wish, the tour operator may accompany you to the local hospital. If you wish, and depending on location and timing, a member of consular staff may be able to accompany you. If you seek medical assistance from a local hospital, they may report it to the police.

It is your choice on whether to report the crime. If you don’t report it, your case may not be investigated.

If you want to report the incident to the police in the UK

The support available to you, and your access to justice, may vary according to where you report the crime. In many countries, you need to report the crime before you leave the country, if you want it to be investigated and for the police to obtain important evidence.

If you are staying in the country where the crime took place, you should report the crime in that country.

If you do not report the crime in the country where it happened and you return to the UK, you can still report the matter to your local UK police. The UK police should send the information you provide to the country where the crime happened. However, it is for foreign police forces to decide whether to investigate a crime in their jurisdiction and they may not take action.

You can report the crime to the UK police even if you are not seeking an investigation abroad. The UK police can offer you access to victim support in the UK. They may still send some details of the crime to police in the country where it happened. This might be necessary in order to protect vulnerable people, or to stop more crimes being committed.

Please see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK for more information about protection in the UK.

If you want to report the incident to the police in Oman

Before you go to the police station

Oman law on rape and sexual assault is very different to UK law and the procedure surrounding reporting differs. Before you report the incident we suggest that you obtain advice from the British Embassy and engage a local lawyer to ensure you are aware of the legal process. Like in the UK, each case will be treated differently (depending on the circumstances) and so you may feel more comfortable having this advice before you report the incident to the police.

If you choose to report the crime, you should do so as soon as possible. It is important that you keep as much forensic evidence as possible. Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you have already changed your clothes, take the clothing that you were wearing to the police. You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as condoms, toothbrushes or texts.

At the police station

There is no guarantee that there will be specially trained officers to speak with victims of rape or sexual assault and not every police station will have female officers. The level of English spoken and understood might not be to a fluent level. If possible, take someone with you who speaks Arabic.

If you have a tour operator or a visa sponsor, they may be able to arrange for someone to support you. If you are in an area where there is a British embassy, if you wish the embassy will try to send a consular officer to support you, where timing and location allow. You will always be able to speak to trained consular staff on the telephone 24/7.

If a case is opened, try to obtain the case number from the police. If you’re not able to do so the embassy can help you with this. Any documents you receive are likely to be in Arabic.

Whilst homosexual sex is illegal in Oman, the law states that anyone who sexually assaults a man or a woman can face criminal charges. Contact the British embassy if you have any concerns about this.

If you choose to report the crime in Oman, you will be expected to provide a full statement, giving details about the attack, for example, where, when, who, the amount of force, and witnesses.

You may need to leave any clothing that you were wearing at the time of the attack for forensic testing. The police will usually ask you to have a physical examination and a blood test by a medical professional. These results will be shared with the police. The police may also ask you to provide your mobile phone for evidence.

Police investigation - what to expect

Oman law places a high burden of proof on the victim to demonstrate that any sexual intercourse was not consensual. This is especially important if you have consumed alcohol or if you knew the alleged offender.

Although cases in Oman can be complex, here are a few points to expect:

• as part of their investigation, the police may take you to the scene of the crime, either to demonstrate what happened or to try and identify and arrest the attacker
• it is likely you will be asked to attend a physical examination and have blood samples taken. These results will be shared with the local police. You may also be asked to share your electronic devices with the police as part of the investigation
• please also note that you and the attacker/accused may be in the same room during the investigation and your identity may not be kept confidential
• it is our understanding that victims will have to go in front of the Public Prosecution to make a statement. If appointed, a lawyer will have access to the case notes and will be able to attend the Public Prosecution Office with the victim. There is a list of lawyers at the end of this document. The British Embassy is not automatically provided information on any criminal cases; however, we can ask on behalf of the victims in certain cases. Information provided is often limited
• whether you will be permitted to leave the country will very much depend on the progress of the case. Generally, if a local lawyer has been provided a power of attorney, you can leave Oman. If you have left Oman, they may be asked to return to provide oral evidence during the court proceedings

The medical examination: what to expect

All local hospitals in Oman will treat a patient with medical needs, however it is only the Royal Oman Police hospital that produce the forensic reports. A medical professional will carry out any medical examinations. The medical examination may vary dependent on the local authority’s investigation and what the police have requested. Photographs may be taken to be used as evidence. Consular staff can sometimes accompany you to the hospital if the police allow us to do so.

Treatment

If you are a tourist, you may need to pay for all treatment costs directly, unless you have travel insurance that covers this. You should contact your insurance provider. If you live in Oman, you should check if any tests or treatment will be covered by your insurance.

If you are given medication in Oman, keep the label and make a note of the name of the medication, so that you can inform your local health provider when you return to the UK.

Please note that there is no emergency contraception available in Oman.

Court procedures: what to expect

Cases can be treated differently in Oman therefore it is difficult to give a timescale on how long it will take for a case to be closed. The Public Prosecution may request for information or for further investigations to be made which will increase the duration. This can occur multiple times in a case.

You may be called to give more evidence during the court proceedings. It is unusual for a case to be heard in closed court, or for evidence to be given from behind screens or via video link. A lawyer would be able to easily keep up to date with the progress of the case and any actions that are required.

Once a case has gone to court it can be difficult for the case to be dropped by either by you or the alleged attacker. The outcome of the case will be decided by the court.

If the alleged attacker is found guilty, likely sentences include prison, fine or deportation, and they may be combined or applied independently.

Points to consider if you return to the UK

You may want to talk to your GP or let a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) know what has happened to you so that you can talk about the experience and seek further support and advice.

Country	Details
England	NHS Choices website, or search the internet for ‘NHS SARC’
Scotland	Archway SARC, phone: 0141 211 8175
Wales	New Pathways SARC, phone: 01685 379 310; Ynys Saff Sexual Assault Referral Centre - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Northern Ireland	Rowan SARC Northern Ireland: phone 0800 389 4424

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.

If you do have a case opened in Oman, the local police would not inform the UK police of this.

Support

Organisations

We can provide you a list of counsellors in Oman should you feel that this may help.

The following are all links to organisations in the UK who can provide support and guidance for you and your family, in addition to your local UK based Rape Crisis Centre:

• https://www.rapecrisis.org.uk
• https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk
• https://www.nexusni.org
• https://www.glasgowclyderapecrisis.org.uk/
• https://www.survivorsuk.org

Lawyers

If you wish to receive legal advice, there is a list of lawyers on our website below. Some of these law firms offer initial pro-bono (free) advice. Please speak to the embassy if you need help on where to start.

See our list of lawyers.