4.3.4.3 Clothing

If the health center has a formal evidence collection kit, it will contain bags and envelopes to collect clothing from the survivor, including separate envelopes for undergarments.

Depending on the situation, the healthcare provider may ask them to remove some or all their clothing.

Like all parts of the exam, this is optional.

Whether the survivor decides to do this or not is their decision.

Because the survivor’s clothing will become evidence, it’s not likely that it will be returned to them.

At this point, it may be helpful to have brought a spare set of clothes, including underwear, as the health center may not have any to provide (see the section, ‘What to Bring to the Health Center’).

The healthcare provider will then spread a large sheet of paper beneath the survivor as they disrobe so that any foreign material found on their clothing (e.g. leaves or coat fibers) can be collected and labeled properly.

For each stage of evidence collection, materials need to be labeled clearly with the survivor’s name, the date and the name of the healthcare provider who collected it.