"I had to wait all day before I could wash him off my body," she told AAP.
"It felt like I was just walking evidence.
"And the lack of forensic expertise at the hospital meant that my medical and emotional care was significantly delayed."
Ms Owens, who consented to being identified by AAP, said a man raped her while she was asleep at a friend's house in 2008 when she was aged 25.
When she got home, Ms Owens said she looked longingly at her shower, but decided to report the crime and drove herself to hospital.
She presented at Rockingham Hospital, south of Perth, about 10.30am but was told they did not conduct forensic examinations there.
Police escorted her to Perth's Sexual Assault Resource Centre, where she was examined about 6pm.
"I didn't get home until about eight o'clock at night, so this had been on me for 12 hours before I could have a shower," Ms Owens said.
Her experience occurred nearly two decades ago and yet very little has changed with Western Australia's forensic examination access.
A forensic medical examination (FME) is used to collect evidence of a sexual assault, including DNA and physical injuries, and check for health concerns, sexually-transmitted diseases and pregnancy.
It must be performed by a specially trained doctor or nurse, and can be used as evidence in criminal prosecution.
In regional areas, including Kalgoorlie, it is not unusual for victim-survivors to wait from six to 12 hours for a forensic examination due to lack of trained staff, a review by the WA Department of Justice found in December 2025.
They may be required to go to Perth, where there are dedicated full-time forensic doctors, or wait at a public hospital for a trained professional to be available.
The delays have flow-on effects to justice, because wait times may lead to victim-survivors not getting the examinations done at all.
"It's a justice issue because we need it for the courts, but it's a health issue because we need to be able to access it in a timely manner," Ms Owens said.
Campaign group Fair Agenda has been pushing for WA to reduce forensic examination wait times and has been trying to meet with the health minister for two years.
"The Western Australian government is failing victim-survivors of sexual assault," campaign manager Daisy Gardener said.
"The only dedicated forensic examiner positions that exist in the whole state are in Perth."
WA is falling behind other states, which had recognised the problem and invested in boosting forensic examination capacity, she said.
South Australia committed $36 million to improve FME access in this year's budget, while in 2024 Queensland committed $56 million over four years.
WA's auditor general is assessing access to FMEs and will table a report by the end of 2026.
Health Minister Meredith Hammat was contacted for comment.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
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