An independent review has found the ACT’s support and response to incidents of sexual assault are inadequate, despite the many Canberrans dedicating their careers to assisting survivors.
Announcing the release of the final report of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Steering Committee, entitled Listen. Take Action to Prevent, Believe and Heal, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Yvette Berry, said it made for “hard reading”.
“It tells a story of a system and sub-sectors that can be reformed to better support victims of sexual abuse,” Ms Berry said.
“This Report was commissioned as an acknowledgement of the seriousness of sexual violence and brings together feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, including those working on the front line of responding to sexual assault in our community and, most importantly, victim survivors,” she said.
In its Report, the Committee said that too often the ACT’s support and response framework left individuals and their families feeling disbelieved, disrespected and isolated.
“Not only is there an unacceptable prevalence of sexual violence, particularly towards women and children, but the supports and responses available to victim survivors are inadequate,” the Committee said.
“Too often, the response by community, Government Agencies and the justice system in the ACT fails to meet survivors’ needs for healing and justice and can be retraumatising rather than supportive,” it said.
“The high prevalence of sexual violence, and the inadequacy of system responses for victim survivors, are exacerbated by other marginalising factors for sectors of our community, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, children and young people, people with disability, and LGBTIQ+ people.”
The Committee called on Government to commit to a wide-ranging, long-term strategy aimed at preventing sexual violence, including work to change attitudes and behaviours that enabled and perpetuated sexual violence; funding for lifelong relationship and sexuality education; and implementing concrete actions to reduce the risk and occurrence of sexual violence.
It made 24 recommendations aimed at tackling the underlying drivers of sexual violence and to greatly improve the support given to survivors, including recourse to effective justice responses.
Ms Berry said a detailed Government Response to the Report would be delivered in the first half of 2022, however, some initial work had already commenced in anticipation of the recommendations.
She said this included funding for the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program; Forensic and Medical Sexual Assault Care at Canberra Health Services; an Education Directorate roundtable on sexuality and consent education; and the commencement of collaborative work involving the Director of Public Prosecutions, ACT Policing, Victims of Crime Commissioner and the Coordinator-General for Family Safety to improve the justice system.
The Committee’s 214-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
Support for victim-survivors of sexual, domestic or family violence is available from 1800Respect 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1800 737 732 or at 1800respect.org.au.
