Sexual Violence: The Challenge of Prevention

1. Sexual Violence: The Challenge of Prevention Emma Price SAPPSS Project Coordinator (Federal) CASA House @ The Royal Women’s Hospital

2. Definition of Sexual Assault • Any unwanted sexual behaviour that makes the victim/survivor feel uncomfortable, frightened, intimidated or threatened. • Any sexual activity that the victim/survivor has not givenfree agreement (consented)to. • It happens more frequently than many people realise and includes a range of behaviours e.g. unwelcome comments & jokes, unwanted touching, rape

3. the facts • Young people are committing violence – including sexual violence • Young people experience sexual assault at a high rates • Young people, like all of society, hold a lot of misconceptions about sexual assault • Sexual assault is an under-reported crime • Few young people acknowledge some behaviours as sexual assault (especially coercive behaviours) • Historically sexual assault has been rarely talked about in an informed, formal or responsible manner

4. Gender based / sexual violence • Is a specific form of violence As such requires a specific response When compared to other types of violence we see Differing determinants- • Unequal power relations between men and women • Gender Stereotypes • Attitudes and characteristics- • Hidden nature of sexual assault • Victim blaming • Excusing perpetrators behaviour • Social norms and practices • Trivializing of behaviours & effects

5. Statistics • 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will experience sexual assault before the age of 18 Study by Fergusson and Mullen 1999 • 78% of victims of sexual assault know the offender • 80% of victim/survivors are girls and women • Of all recorded sexual assaults in Australia, 65% occur in homes Australian Institute of Criminology 2003 • 97% of sexual offenders are male World Health Organization 2004 • 85% of sexual assaults never come to the attention of the criminal justice system Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005

6. What is CASA House? • Centre Against Sexual Assault • A department of The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne • One of 15 CASAs around Victoria • Servicing metropolitan areas of Hume, Moreland, Yarra, Melbourne & Moonee Ponds and patients of the Royal Women’s Hospital Direct Service • provides free, confidential support and counselingto victim/survivors of past and recent sexual assault • provides phone support and advice to friends and family supporting a victim/survivor Prevention and Education • provides advice and consultancy to other professionals • involved in public advocacy and community education

7. What is Primary Prevention? • Programs and Activities undertaken before a problem occurs: • Preventing initial perpetration or victimization • Seek to remove the determinants and prevent the development of ‘risk factors’ • Targeting a general population, not just young people who have been deemed at risk

8. Current CASA House Prevention projects include: • Melbourne based SAPPSS implementation, delivery and management. • Partnership with Canberra Rape Crisis Centre to implement, deliver and manage SAPPSS in three schools in the ACT. • Lead Agency for Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Respectful Relationship Prevention of Gender Based Violence Demonstration Project. • Consultants for AFL Respect and Responsibility DVD resource development. • “16 songs for 16 days” project partnership with Melbourne City Mission , working with homeless young people • Partnership with Dirty Work Comedy to deliver the ‘No Means No’ Show to young people across Victoria and the ACT • Consultant for Dirty Work Comedy for ‘The Talk’ DVD production.

9. What is SAPPSS? Sexual Assault Prevention Program for Secondary Schools • Model developed by CASA House • Implemented by various Sexual Assault Support agencies across Australia • Partnership between schools and CASA • Whole-school approach • Long term model of phased implementation • Aims : • Prevent: Reduce the incidence of sexual assault in school communities; and • Respond: Enhance the capacity of secondary schools to respond to sexual assault.

10. Key components to the program -

11. Challenge: community attitudes EXAMPLE – Results from National Community Attitude Survey • 34% believe that ‘rape results from men being unable to control their need for sex’. • 13% of people agree that women ‘often say no when they mean yes’ • 1 in 6 people agree that a woman ‘is partly responsible if she is raped when drunk or drug‐affected’ • Young people are less likely to rate some forms of physical violence as serious – including slapping or pushing a partner • Non-physical forms of violence tended to be seen as less serious. One in five respondents categorized ‘yelling abuse at a partner’ and ‘controlling a partner by denying them money’ as either ‘not that serious’ or ‘not serious at all’. • One-quarter (26 %) disagree that ‘women rarely make false claims of being raped’.

12. Challenge: lack of knowledge EXAMPLE In PRE program SAPPSS surveys • Significant numbers of young people are unaware of age of consent laws. • Very few have an understanding of the ‘2 year rule’ (Victorian Law) • Almost none have an understanding of the concept of ‘free-agreement’ or the influencing factors (especially coercion or drug/alcohol)

13. Challenge: Stereotypes EXAMPLE Quotes from young people undertaking SAPPSS- • “guys should be buying their girlfriends presents” (Year 9, Young Woman) • “guys are always ready for sex, as if they ever say no” (Year 9, Young Man) • “girls shouldn’t dress like that if they don’t want to have sex” (Year 9, Young Woman) • “girls shouldn’t have boyfriends if they don’t want to have sex” (Year 10, Young Man) • “boys know more about sex, because they watch more porn” (Year 9, Young Man) • “Chicks are just touchy, feely and cryie, guys don’t talk about that stuff” (Year 10, Young Man) Mainstream media • In a recent FHM magazine there was a “manhood quiz”, to find out how much of a “man” readers were. The quiz allocated “10 man points” (the maximum possible) for having sex with a girl when she has told you she doesn’t want to.

14. Challenge: ‘acceptable’ behaviours EXAMPLE In PRE program SAPPSS surveys • Most young people disagree that ‘a group of boys cornering a girl and asking questions about her sex life” would be considered sexual assault • 30-60% of young people disagree that making jokes about someone’s sexuality is against the law • Coercive behaviors are already seen as acceptable and in many cases ‘normal’ for young people. • In a recent survey Vic Health found that 30% of Year 10 girls and 27% Year 12 sexually active girls report having experienced unwanted sex

15. The good news is - • The Australian Government is investing in the Prevention of Violence Against Women at both state and federal levels • Sexual Assault is increasingly becoming spoken about in an appropriate and respectful manner. • Community Attitudes across our community are, overall, positively shifting • Across Australia prevention work is engaging all levels of communities (schools, workplaces, media, sporting, government etc) in varied projects and programs

16. For more information • CASA House www.casahouse.com.au • SAPPSS www.casahouse.com.au/index.php?page_id=172 • ‘No Mean No’ Show www.nellythomas.com/nomeansnoshow.htm • National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children www.fahcsia.gov.au • NASASV National Standards for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Assault www.nasasv.org.au • Victorian Respectful Relationships Education – Best Practice Guidelines http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/stuman/wellbeing/respectful_relationships/respectful-relationships.pdf • National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey 2009 www.vichealth.vic.gov.au

17. Contact Emma Price SAPPSS Project Coordinator (Federal) CASA House Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Level 3, 210 Lonsdale Street Melbourne 3000 (03) 9635 3616 emma.price@thewomens.org.au