Regional, rural and remote sexual assault services in Australia face unique challenges in meeting... more Regional, rural and remote sexual assault services in Australia face unique challenges in meeting the needs of the diverse populations they seek to support. These issues range from geographical barriers, to meeting specific cultural needs in an appropriate manner. The local context of rural, regional and remote areas in Australia has led to some innovative practices by service providers. ACSSA spoke with six sexual assault services in regional, rural and remote areas to explore local contexts and the ways in which managers and workers solved issues through flexible and innovative approaches. KEY MESSAGES Issues arising in the provision of sexual assault service delivery in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia are often context specific-relating to the economic features and population diversity of a community, geographic distances and staffing needs. Services in regional, rural and remote areas develop responses that suggests they are an untapped resource of ideas and innovative thinking. Local context drives flexibility in sexual assault service delivery yet innovative responses can be translated and adapted for use in other communities. 2 | Australian Institute of Family Studies The Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault aims to improve access to current information on sexual assault in order to assist policy makers and others interested in this area to develop evidence-based strategies to prevent, respond to, and ultimately reduce the incidence of sexual assault.
This Resource Sheet aims to provide current information to those working in health care settings ... more This Resource Sheet aims to provide current information to those working in health care settings about how to approach the discussion of intimate partner sexual violence with their female clients and patients. Why discuss intimate partner sexual violence? Forty to forty-five per cent of women who are physically abused by their intimate partners are also forced into sexual activities by them. Women who have been sexually assaulted by their partners experience a number of serious risks that are different and more serious than women who experience physical violence alone. These include: a greater risk of being killed by their partner; stress-related symptoms; increased likelihood of gynaecological; and detrimental emotional and mental health effects. It can\u27t be assumed sexual violence will be revealed - even when physical violence is disclosed, the sexual aspect may not be. Some victim/survivors may not even be certain that their partner\u27s behaviour constitutes sexual abuse. Communication with a health care provider can make a difference in whether women access support services. Image: Gabriela Camerott
Despite indications of a high prevalence rate of spousal sexual violence, there seems to be more ... more Despite indications of a high prevalence rate of spousal sexual violence, there seems to be more reluctance on the part of victim/survivors to report or discuss spousal sexual violence compared to other types of sexual assaults (Lievore, 2003; Mahoney, 1999). There is also reluctance to disclose sexual violence even when physical violence may be identified. This means that sexual assault may remain a hidden aspect of abuse in relationships, even where physical assaults are disclosed (Parkinson, 2008). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) personal safety data also indicated that sexual assaults are less likely to be reported to the police than physical assaults, while sexual assaults by a current partner are the least likely of all to be reported, even compared to other types of sexual assaults (ABS, 2006).
This paper provides an overview of complex trauma as a response to chronic sexual victimisation a... more This paper provides an overview of complex trauma as a response to chronic sexual victimisation and considers what this means for services and service configurations, as well as the implications of acknowledging complex trauma for policy responses in health and human service fields. Abstract: Traumatic events are those that overwhelm the "ordinary human adaptations to life". However, one particular type of trauma is increasingly being recognised as a driver of many complex social and mental health problems in those affected by it. The repeated trauma caused by ongoing sexual abuse that is prolonged, occurs in the developmental stages of a person's life, and is often perpetrated by an authority figure is now being more readily perceived as a causal feature of multiple social and mental health issues and the consequent need for human services. Although not officially recognised in diagnostic classification, the term "complex trauma" or "complex post-trauma...
Define's and clarifies what trauma-informed service delivery means in the context of deliveri... more Define's and clarifies what trauma-informed service delivery means in the context of delivering child/family welfare services in Australia. Summary This paper aims to define and clarify what trauma-informed service delivery means in the context of delivering child/family welfare services in Australia. Exposure to traumatic life events such as child abuse, neglect and domestic violence is a driver of service need. Policies and service providers must respond appropriately to people who are dealing with trauma and its effects in order to ensure best outcomes for individuals and families using these services. In addition to evidence-based programs or clinical interventions that are specific to addressing trauma symptoms, such as trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy, there is a need for broader organisational- or service-level systems of care that respond to the needs of clients with a lived experience of trauma that go beyond a clinical response. Some of the challenges identif...
This Wrap provides an evidence-based summary of the key issues involved in program design in prim... more This Wrap provides an evidence-based summary of the key issues involved in program design in primary prevention initiatives. It is targeted at those working in the policy and program development areas of sexual assault prevention. Its purpose is to assist decision-making about what primary prevention is, and isn't, and what elements are required for primary prevention to be effective - drawing on information from sexual assault and other fields of primary prevention.
One of the most recent major shifts in the focus of child maltreatment research has been recognit... more One of the most recent major shifts in the focus of child maltreatment research has been recognition of the interrelatedness of childhood victimisation experiences. Two main frameworks have been developed to better understand and measure this interrelatedness: multi-type maltreatment and polyvictimisation. Alongside this shift, has been the growing recognition in the fields of traumatology and psychiatry that traditional mental health diagnoses often do not adequately capture the effects of chronic and/or multiple types of victimisation. Complex trauma and cumulative harm are both popular models that account for complexity in traumatic outcomes. Researchers investigating the consequences of a specific form of victimisation should account for the effects of other victimisation experiences, as well as for the effects of cumulative experiences. Practice and policy responses to children who experience single maltreatment events should be different to those for children who experience multiple maltreatment events. Survivors of multiple maltreatment events are more likely to experience complex trauma and the negative effects of cumulative harm, both of which require more comprehensive intervention and treatment.
Alcohol is a feature in a high proportion of sexual assaults. It appears that alcohol has a multi... more Alcohol is a feature in a high proportion of sexual assaults. It appears that alcohol has a multi-faceted role in facilitating sexual assault. There are social and gender issues around alcohol consumption that perpetrators are able to exploit to their advantage. Alcohol is used as a tool by perpetrators to increase victim vulnerability and enhance their own confidence. Alcohol is used as an excuse by perpetrators to reduce their culpability and accountability. Alcohol may be consumed voluntarily by victims or perpetrators may coerce consumption or covertly administer alcohol. Alcohol on its own is not a causative factor for sexual assault but it acts together with social and cultural factors that influence behaviour in relation to social scripts and sexual interactions. KEY MESSAGES Alcohol has a culturally accepted place in social situations, particularly when young people congregate, however, it is also widely acknowledged that alcohol is often present in many sexual assaults that occur within these social contexts. Although there is extensive research on the link between alcohol and sexual assault, there is still a lack of clarity about the exact role that alcohol plays in facilitating this type of sexual violence. Perpetrators are able to use alcohol to their advantage in a number of ways. Clearly, alcohol is not a causative factor on its own, as many people drink without perpetrating violence. It seems most likely that alcohol acts in multiple ways and interacts with a range of social and individual factors to influence the perpetration of sexual assault. 2 | Australian Institute of Family Studies ACSSA Issues are peer-review publications.
Prevention efforts have focused on gender inequality as the problem, but in striving for improvem... more Prevention efforts have focused on gender inequality as the problem, but in striving for improvement, there is no existing model of gender equality to aspire to or to demonstrate the end product. There is also a lack of research and data around whether some aspects of gender equality are more important than others in preventing violence, and how the gender power imbalance works with disadvantage in other social categories such as race and class. These add further complexity to the issue of gender equality.
Provides reflections on Australia's efforts in primary prevention of violence against women a... more Provides reflections on Australia's efforts in primary prevention of violence against women and offers suggestions for the next steps to continue the momentum. Summary Australia has committed to a public health approach to preventing violence against women, transforming how policies and programming address this difficult social issue. The aim is to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place by directing policy and strategies towards changing the underlying causes, behaviours and attitudes that lead to the perpetration of violence against women. This Issues Paper provides reflections on Australia’s efforts in primary prevention of violence against women and offers suggestions for the next steps to continue the momentum. Key messages The public health approach to preventing violence against women is now a major influence on policy areas in Australia and internationally. Evidence about what works in prevention is still emerging and is currently quite disparate, due to th...
There is a complex array of variables related to sexual revictimisation. Although prevalence is d... more There is a complex array of variables related to sexual revictimisation. Although prevalence is difficult to ascertain, several studies relate that people who have been sexually abused as children are two to three times more likely to be sexually revictimised in adolescence and/ or adulthood. Much of the literature on sexual revictimisation focuses on the individual risk factors for the victim/survivor—their risk perception and emotional dysregulation resulting from initial sexual victimisation—and how these create vulnerability for sexual revictimisation. Broader contextual factors beyond the victim/survivor, however, are often ignored. These contextual factors are explored here with a particular emphasis on minority groups, such as people with a disability; gay, lesbian and bisexual people; and Indigenous people. This focus demonstrates that individual risk factors often do not account for how perpetrators may target vulnerable people who have previously been victimised, how commu...
This paper aims to contribute to and clarify the debate around false allegations of sexual assaul... more This paper aims to contribute to and clarify the debate around false allegations of sexual assault by providing a summary of recent literature, including consideration of the classifications and methods of defining a false allegation, whether there is a prevailing scepticism around allegations of sexual assault, and the motivations for falsifying reports. Key messages: There is ongoing speculation about the prevalence of false allegations of sexual assault, however, without consistency in definition and classification of what actually is a false allegation, accurate measurement of prevalence is difficult. Assumptions are made about the truth of allegations of sexual assault at various decision-making points in the justice response. These assumptions are based on individual and societal beliefs about gender roles and sexual assault that may not accord with the actual experiences of sexual assault. The perception that false allegations of sexual assault are common has negative consequ...
Regional, rural and remote sexual assault services in Australia face unique challenges in meeting... more Regional, rural and remote sexual assault services in Australia face unique challenges in meeting the needs of the diverse populations they seek to support. These issues range from geographical barriers, to meeting specific cultural needs in an appropriate manner. The local context of rural, regional and remote areas in Australia has led to some innovative practices by service providers. ACSSA spoke with six sexual assault services in regional, rural and remote areas to explore local contexts and the ways in which managers and workers solved issues through flexible and innovative approaches. KEY MESSAGES Issues arising in the provision of sexual assault service delivery in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia are often context specific-relating to the economic features and population diversity of a community, geographic distances and staffing needs. Services in regional, rural and remote areas develop responses that suggests they are an untapped resource of ideas and innovative thinking. Local context drives flexibility in sexual assault service delivery yet innovative responses can be translated and adapted for use in other communities. 2 | Australian Institute of Family Studies The Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault aims to improve access to current information on sexual assault in order to assist policy makers and others interested in this area to develop evidence-based strategies to prevent, respond to, and ultimately reduce the incidence of sexual assault.
This Resource Sheet aims to provide current information to those working in health care settings ... more This Resource Sheet aims to provide current information to those working in health care settings about how to approach the discussion of intimate partner sexual violence with their female clients and patients. Why discuss intimate partner sexual violence? Forty to forty-five per cent of women who are physically abused by their intimate partners are also forced into sexual activities by them. Women who have been sexually assaulted by their partners experience a number of serious risks that are different and more serious than women who experience physical violence alone. These include: a greater risk of being killed by their partner; stress-related symptoms; increased likelihood of gynaecological; and detrimental emotional and mental health effects. It can\u27t be assumed sexual violence will be revealed - even when physical violence is disclosed, the sexual aspect may not be. Some victim/survivors may not even be certain that their partner\u27s behaviour constitutes sexual abuse. Communication with a health care provider can make a difference in whether women access support services. Image: Gabriela Camerott
Despite indications of a high prevalence rate of spousal sexual violence, there seems to be more ... more Despite indications of a high prevalence rate of spousal sexual violence, there seems to be more reluctance on the part of victim/survivors to report or discuss spousal sexual violence compared to other types of sexual assaults (Lievore, 2003; Mahoney, 1999). There is also reluctance to disclose sexual violence even when physical violence may be identified. This means that sexual assault may remain a hidden aspect of abuse in relationships, even where physical assaults are disclosed (Parkinson, 2008). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) personal safety data also indicated that sexual assaults are less likely to be reported to the police than physical assaults, while sexual assaults by a current partner are the least likely of all to be reported, even compared to other types of sexual assaults (ABS, 2006).
This paper provides an overview of complex trauma as a response to chronic sexual victimisation a... more This paper provides an overview of complex trauma as a response to chronic sexual victimisation and considers what this means for services and service configurations, as well as the implications of acknowledging complex trauma for policy responses in health and human service fields. Abstract: Traumatic events are those that overwhelm the "ordinary human adaptations to life". However, one particular type of trauma is increasingly being recognised as a driver of many complex social and mental health problems in those affected by it. The repeated trauma caused by ongoing sexual abuse that is prolonged, occurs in the developmental stages of a person's life, and is often perpetrated by an authority figure is now being more readily perceived as a causal feature of multiple social and mental health issues and the consequent need for human services. Although not officially recognised in diagnostic classification, the term "complex trauma" or "complex post-trauma...
Define's and clarifies what trauma-informed service delivery means in the context of deliveri... more Define's and clarifies what trauma-informed service delivery means in the context of delivering child/family welfare services in Australia. Summary This paper aims to define and clarify what trauma-informed service delivery means in the context of delivering child/family welfare services in Australia. Exposure to traumatic life events such as child abuse, neglect and domestic violence is a driver of service need. Policies and service providers must respond appropriately to people who are dealing with trauma and its effects in order to ensure best outcomes for individuals and families using these services. In addition to evidence-based programs or clinical interventions that are specific to addressing trauma symptoms, such as trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy, there is a need for broader organisational- or service-level systems of care that respond to the needs of clients with a lived experience of trauma that go beyond a clinical response. Some of the challenges identif...
This Wrap provides an evidence-based summary of the key issues involved in program design in prim... more This Wrap provides an evidence-based summary of the key issues involved in program design in primary prevention initiatives. It is targeted at those working in the policy and program development areas of sexual assault prevention. Its purpose is to assist decision-making about what primary prevention is, and isn't, and what elements are required for primary prevention to be effective - drawing on information from sexual assault and other fields of primary prevention.
One of the most recent major shifts in the focus of child maltreatment research has been recognit... more One of the most recent major shifts in the focus of child maltreatment research has been recognition of the interrelatedness of childhood victimisation experiences. Two main frameworks have been developed to better understand and measure this interrelatedness: multi-type maltreatment and polyvictimisation. Alongside this shift, has been the growing recognition in the fields of traumatology and psychiatry that traditional mental health diagnoses often do not adequately capture the effects of chronic and/or multiple types of victimisation. Complex trauma and cumulative harm are both popular models that account for complexity in traumatic outcomes. Researchers investigating the consequences of a specific form of victimisation should account for the effects of other victimisation experiences, as well as for the effects of cumulative experiences. Practice and policy responses to children who experience single maltreatment events should be different to those for children who experience multiple maltreatment events. Survivors of multiple maltreatment events are more likely to experience complex trauma and the negative effects of cumulative harm, both of which require more comprehensive intervention and treatment.
Alcohol is a feature in a high proportion of sexual assaults. It appears that alcohol has a multi... more Alcohol is a feature in a high proportion of sexual assaults. It appears that alcohol has a multi-faceted role in facilitating sexual assault. There are social and gender issues around alcohol consumption that perpetrators are able to exploit to their advantage. Alcohol is used as a tool by perpetrators to increase victim vulnerability and enhance their own confidence. Alcohol is used as an excuse by perpetrators to reduce their culpability and accountability. Alcohol may be consumed voluntarily by victims or perpetrators may coerce consumption or covertly administer alcohol. Alcohol on its own is not a causative factor for sexual assault but it acts together with social and cultural factors that influence behaviour in relation to social scripts and sexual interactions. KEY MESSAGES Alcohol has a culturally accepted place in social situations, particularly when young people congregate, however, it is also widely acknowledged that alcohol is often present in many sexual assaults that occur within these social contexts. Although there is extensive research on the link between alcohol and sexual assault, there is still a lack of clarity about the exact role that alcohol plays in facilitating this type of sexual violence. Perpetrators are able to use alcohol to their advantage in a number of ways. Clearly, alcohol is not a causative factor on its own, as many people drink without perpetrating violence. It seems most likely that alcohol acts in multiple ways and interacts with a range of social and individual factors to influence the perpetration of sexual assault. 2 | Australian Institute of Family Studies ACSSA Issues are peer-review publications.
Prevention efforts have focused on gender inequality as the problem, but in striving for improvem... more Prevention efforts have focused on gender inequality as the problem, but in striving for improvement, there is no existing model of gender equality to aspire to or to demonstrate the end product. There is also a lack of research and data around whether some aspects of gender equality are more important than others in preventing violence, and how the gender power imbalance works with disadvantage in other social categories such as race and class. These add further complexity to the issue of gender equality.
Provides reflections on Australia's efforts in primary prevention of violence against women a... more Provides reflections on Australia's efforts in primary prevention of violence against women and offers suggestions for the next steps to continue the momentum. Summary Australia has committed to a public health approach to preventing violence against women, transforming how policies and programming address this difficult social issue. The aim is to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place by directing policy and strategies towards changing the underlying causes, behaviours and attitudes that lead to the perpetration of violence against women. This Issues Paper provides reflections on Australia’s efforts in primary prevention of violence against women and offers suggestions for the next steps to continue the momentum. Key messages The public health approach to preventing violence against women is now a major influence on policy areas in Australia and internationally. Evidence about what works in prevention is still emerging and is currently quite disparate, due to th...
There is a complex array of variables related to sexual revictimisation. Although prevalence is d... more There is a complex array of variables related to sexual revictimisation. Although prevalence is difficult to ascertain, several studies relate that people who have been sexually abused as children are two to three times more likely to be sexually revictimised in adolescence and/ or adulthood. Much of the literature on sexual revictimisation focuses on the individual risk factors for the victim/survivor—their risk perception and emotional dysregulation resulting from initial sexual victimisation—and how these create vulnerability for sexual revictimisation. Broader contextual factors beyond the victim/survivor, however, are often ignored. These contextual factors are explored here with a particular emphasis on minority groups, such as people with a disability; gay, lesbian and bisexual people; and Indigenous people. This focus demonstrates that individual risk factors often do not account for how perpetrators may target vulnerable people who have previously been victimised, how commu...
This paper aims to contribute to and clarify the debate around false allegations of sexual assaul... more This paper aims to contribute to and clarify the debate around false allegations of sexual assault by providing a summary of recent literature, including consideration of the classifications and methods of defining a false allegation, whether there is a prevailing scepticism around allegations of sexual assault, and the motivations for falsifying reports. Key messages: There is ongoing speculation about the prevalence of false allegations of sexual assault, however, without consistency in definition and classification of what actually is a false allegation, accurate measurement of prevalence is difficult. Assumptions are made about the truth of allegations of sexual assault at various decision-making points in the justice response. These assumptions are based on individual and societal beliefs about gender roles and sexual assault that may not accord with the actual experiences of sexual assault. The perception that false allegations of sexual assault are common has negative consequ...
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