Fair Agenda Blog
Great news! After weeks of campaign pressure, Australia’s Universities have just announced that they will establish the dedicated specialist counselling hotline for students affected by sexual assault that Fair Agenda members have helped call for!
Just last month survivor advocates revealed that Universities around the country were leaving survivors of sexual violence without adequate support. That students who had been raped or sexually assaulted during their studies were being told they would have to wait up to four weeks for a university counselling appointment, and that others who had dropped out of their degrees as a result of their assault were being refused access to university counselling services altogether.
It was a system that was failing student survivors. And things were about to get much worse, with an upcoming report on sexual violence at universities expected to trigger even more disclosures and demand for services in just a few weeks.
Then student group End Rape on Campus and survivor advocate Nina Funnell launched a call for action -- and Fair Agenda members stepped up and helped them build the pressure on universities to stop leaving rape survivors without adequate support.
In just a few days thousands of us signed the petition calling for Universities to fund the hotline, and shared powerful messages urging the Vice Chancellors and Universities Australia to stop leaving students without the support they need, including members who shared powerful messages like:
“This hotline would have changed my life and saved me years of suffering if it had existed years ago. Let's make things better for future.”
"Before I retired 20 years ago I was an academic member of an Australian university. I am appalled to hear that all this time later an issue over which I and other women campaigned is still current."
"A timely response and ability to ensure all students affected by sexual assault have access to decent counsellors trained in trauma counselling is crucial if the student is going to be able to recover... Universities need to take responsibility for this."
Then, ahead of a key meeting, Fair Agenda delivered your messages and petition signatures of support to all 39 Vice Chancellors, and the head of Universities Australia -- to make sure they knew how many alumni, students, survivors and community members backed the call for them to ensure best practice, trauma informed counselling is provided to students who have been affected by violence on campus. And just how many people would be watching and awaiting their decision.
And, together with End Rape on Campus, survivor advocate Nina Funnell and the National Union of Students – Fair Agenda members' advocacy worked! Today Universities Australia announced that they will establish a dedicated specialist counselling hotline for students affected by sexual violence during their studies.
It’s a huge win that will make a difference to the thousands of current and former students who are expected to need this service.
Together, the actions of Fair Agenda members are helping to drive really important wins that are improving the lives of tens of thousands of women.
This is a really important win. But it’s not the only thing that needs to change if we’re going to address the problem of sexual assault on campus. We also need to ensure all residences are providing training in consent and preventing sexual violence. Can you add your support to that campaign as well?
-More info-
Victory for students: Free hotline announced for victims of sexual assault, News.com.au, 22 July 2017.
Australia’s National Standards for the primary prevention of sexual assault through education note that sexual assault prevention educators need to have competencies in: knowledge of primary prevention concepts (including theories of attitude and behaviour change), knowledge about the problem of sexual violence and an ability to respond to disclosures.
These National Standards also highlight that the inclusion of risk-avoidance discourse and advice in rape prevention education can do more harm than good. For example: telling women to avoid rape by not drinking, or focusing on self-defence for women, and not exploring strategies for perpetrators to manage their own behaviour.
Further, the recent 'On Safe Ground' Good practice guide for Australian Universities from the Australian Human Rights Centre recommends that sexual violence prevention education programs must be: specifically designed for the student-university environment; delivered by specailist trainers; available in different modes (such as online and face-to-face); and sustained and conducted every year for new staff and annual student intakes.
Below is a list of sexual assault services that have indicated to Fair Agenda that they can provide trainings for university residence contexts that comply with the National Standards:
The Full Stop Foundation (nationwide)
The Full Stop Foundation of Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia have recently developed a range of educational resources and trainings specifically for university staff and students that are considered the gold standard in this area. This includes a Train the Trainer program.
Website: http://www.fullstopfoundation.org.au/MainMenu/Training/Sex-Safety-Respect
Phone: (02) 8585 0371
Email: training@fullstopfoundation.org.au
NSW Rape Crisis (New South Wales)
This service provides training via the Full Stop Foundation, as outlined above.
Canberra Rape Crisis (ACT and surrounding region)
Website: www.crcc.org.au
Phone: (02) 6287 3618
Centre for Sexual Assault (Victoria)
Website: http://www.casahouse.com.au/
Phone: (03) 9635 3610
Email: casa@thewomens.org.au
Yarrow Place (SA)
Phone: (08) 8226 8777
Email: info@yarrowplace.sa.gov.au
SARC (WA)
Phone: (08) 6458 1820
Email: SARCTraining@health.wa.gov.au
www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/services/sarc
Ruby Gae (NT)
Phone: (08) 8945 0155
Website: www.rubygae.net.au
You can see the list of which University residences are or are not providing expert driven training in this area at: http://fairagenda.org/residences_survey
*This list is a work in progress. Do know of a service that complies with the National Standards that should be added? Get in touch via info@fairagenda.org.
For more than three years Fair Agenda members have been campaigning to win changes that help bring us closer to a fair and equal future.
Whether it’s winning vital resources for the services women rely on to escape domestic violence; or blocking cruel cuts to 79,000 working parents’ time to care for their newborns – the Fair Agenda community has proven that together we can shift policies that will change lives.
And with increasing attacks on women’s rights and attempts to undermine the progress won by our foremothers – our community’s work couldn’t be more important.
So, earlier this month, we asked you – Fair Agenda members – what you want our community to be focusing on over the coming twelve months.
Here’s what you said:
Overall: The overwhelming response to this member survey was that Fair Agenda members care about a whole range of issues affecting women. In fact, when asked how important you considered a dozen different issue categories, overall Fair Agenda members told us they considered every issue somewhere between important and very important.
Priorities: When asked which issues should be our community’s number one priority for the coming twelve months, the most popular responses were:
- Addressing gendered violence
- Improving women’s representation (e.g. in decision-making roles);
- Protecting reproductive rights – including decriminalising abortion in Queensland and NSW
Improving the accessibility and security of housing (including homelessness of older women) was the fourth biggest priority; followed by supporting the rights and wellbeing of marginalised women (including, but not limited to women who are culturally and/or linguistically diverse, or otherwise discriminated against because of their race or ethnicity).
Other issues that were ranked highly by members as priority areas were: tackling the gender pay gap, addressing broader issues of economic inequality and disadvantage (including issues like paid time to care and access to childcare), highlighting the gendered impact of changes to general public policy and services (like health and education), and calling out and countering sexism.
These results mean that over coming months we will:
- Continue to prioritise campaigns focused on addressing gendered violence – including our current campaigns to prevent and improve responses to sexual violence on university campuses.
- Step up our work to improve women’s representation in decision-making roles (watch this space), and
- Continue to work with partners to campaign to end the criminalisation of abortion in Queensland and NSW, and to push MPs to vote yes in an upcoming vote to create safe access zones outside reproductive health services in NSW.
As always, we will also seek to campaign on other issues of importance to our members wherever possible, including: issues of housing and homelessness, and issues that disproportionately affect women who are marginalised because of their race, culture, sexuality or any other reason. We will also continue working to ensure that all of our community's campaigns consider the experience of women who are marginalised wherever possible.
But as a small organisation with just two team members supporting our 37,000 strong membership – we don’t yet have the resources we need to campaign on all of these issues.
If you’d like to help increase our community’s ability to change, please consider making a donation to power our work here.
Fair Agenda doesn’t accept donations that would compromise our independence, like government funding or donations from political parties. Instead, our impact is only possible with support from members like you.
Please note that Fair Agenda can accept end of financial year donations, via our preferred donor relationship with the National Foundation for Australian Women. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Fair Agenda, you can do so here by selecting Fair Agenda from the 'organisation or fund' list under 'Donation details'. Unfortunately donations made directly to Fair Agenda are not tax deductible.
Thank you to everybody who made the time to answer the survey, and for all the Fair Agenda members who take the actions that make our community’s impact possible every day.
A couple of months ago Kelly O’Dwyer made history as the first woman to have a baby while serving in Cabinet. And this fortnight she’s back in Parliament for the first time since taking time to care for her newborn.
As someone who had a baby the week before the Minister; who has stood with other Fair Agenda members to stop cuts to working parents’ time to care; and who knows that it’s estimated around half of working mothers face pregnancy discrimination - I think this is an important milestone to celebrate.
That’s why I’ll be dropping in to Ms O’Dwyer’s office next week to pass on my thanks for breaking through this critical glass ceiling. Can you add a message of support and congratulations to my card to Minister O'Dwyer?
I was horrified to see reports last month that Ms O’Dwyer had faced attempts to oust her while she was taking time to care for her newborn. Whatever you think of her politics, I think we can all agree that no one should be targeted while they’re on parental leave.
I have been lucky enough to spend the weeks since the birth of my daughter: physically recovering, caring for and feeding my daughter, and getting to know her. These early months are precious - and critical for the health and welfare of both babies and new parents.
We need more employers and parents in positions of leadership to recognise and normalise taking time to care for family. It’s something Ms O’Dwyer and I agree on -- in fact before the attacks occurred, Ms O’Dwyer had spoken out about the importance of examples of women who have combined both a family and a high profile career in politics.
That’s why I believe it’s extra important to celebrate this historic first.
We need to celebrate acts that lead us closer to the flexible work practices that benefit us all -- and show those who tried to attack Ms O’Dwyer during her parental leave that the public won’t stand for it.
Cultural shifts towards more flexible, family friendly work arrangements are dependent on woman like Ms O'Dwyer leading the way. By being the first woman in cabinet to go on maternity leave, Kelly O'Dwyer has made it easier for the next woman. And whatever your political views I think this is something to be celebrated and supported.
I hope you will add your message of support to my card here: http://www.fairagenda.org/kellyodwyer_card
Thanks for all you do as a Fair Agenda member,
Nat,
New mum and Fair Agenda member
Right now many students who have been raped or sexually assaulted while studying at Australian universities are being told they have to wait up to four weeks for a university counselling appointment. Others who have dropped out of their degrees because of the impact of the assault are being refused access to university counselling services altogether.
Student advocates say university counselling facilitates are “already stretched beyond capacity”. And that demand is set to increase further, with a pending report into the issue expected to trigger further disclosures from victim-survivors when it is delivered in August.
That's why more than one thousands Fair Agenda members have signed onto the call for Universities to make sure they provide timely, adequate, and trauma informed counselling services for students and former students affected by violence on campus. (You can add your support here)
Here is a copy of the letter Fair Agenda has sent to Universities Australia and all Vice Chancellors to alert them to this growing call for action:
29 May 2017
Dear Ms Robinson, on behalf of Universities Australia,
I am writing on behalf of Fair Agenda – a community campaigning organisation made up of 37,000 Australians concerned about equality and fairness for women.
One of the biggest issues of concern for our members is violence against women. In light of the escalation in recent reports about sexual violence being perpetrated against young women at universities, Fair Agenda members are increasingly concerned about risks to the safety of students.
We are particularly concerned about recent reports that many students affected by this violence and trauma aren’t able to access adequate and timely service support.
We are aware that End Rape on Campus has launched a call for universities to address this problem by funding a dedicated specialist counselling hotline for affected students.
I am writing on behalf of Fair Agenda members to share the messages of the 1,012 people who have signed the petition backing that call so far.
Specifically, to share their message to Universities Australia, and all Australian universities that,
“We are extremely concerned that victim-survivors affected by sexual violence at university aren’t able to access timely and appropriate service support.
We urge you to ensure that all students and former students affected by sexual violence at university have access to adequate, timely and trauma informed counselling services.
We particularly note our support for the call to establish a specialist and trauma informed 24/7 counselling hotline to be run by sexual assault experts like Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia ahead of the Australian Human Rights Commission report in August.
Of those who have signed the petition so far, more than 472 are people who have attended or are currently attending an Australian university.
On behalf of Fair Agenda members, we write to call on all Australian Universities to make sure they have timely, adequate, and trauma informed counselling services for students and former students affected by violence during their university studies.
We further note that several parents, students, alumni, academics and student and alumni victim-survivors have shared their personal reasons for supporting this call. We have included a selection of these messages as an addendum for your information.
We urge you to treat this issue as a priority; particularly given there is anticipation that disclosures from victim-survivors and demand for counselling services will increase further when the pending report from the Australian Human Rights Commission is released in coming months.
Yours sincerely,
Renee Carr
Executive Director
On Behalf of Fair Agenda
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Some of the messages shared by those who urge you to ensure that all students and former students affected by sexual violence at university have access to adequate, timely and trauma informed counselling services. And who back the call for a specialist and trauma informed 24/7 counselling hotline to be run by sexual assault experts like those at Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia:
“I was sexually assaulted by a fellow student at the [Uni name redacted]. Despite reporting the incident I was not given adequate support or protection by the university. I do not want any other student to suffer through the hell I went through ever”.
“This hotline would have changed my life and saved me years of suffering if it had existed years ago. Let's make things better for future.”
“I was raped and would want anyone else in that situation to be provided with sufficient support and care, either on their campus or in their surrounding community.”
“Research has shown that victims of sexual assault and domestic violence benefit from specialist rather than general trauma counselling. Undoing the impact of significant trauma is neither easy nor simple. Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia have been supporting those affected by sexual violence for over forty years with specialist sexual assault and domestic violence counselling services nationally, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week”
“I am deeply concerned that graduated students like myself and students that drop out due to the trauma of campus sexual assault are not able to access ongoing support, something that will be desperately needed in August when the AHRC report is released. I have experienced the process of receiving counselling on campus, so I am also concerned about the overburdening of campus counselling services, especially with regard to wait times for an appointment and staff without specific training in counselling someone traumatised by sexual assault.”
“I have a grand daughter at Uni and I worry for her safety!”
“I have a daughter at University. A campus should be a safe haven for students not a place of violence and menace, where she needs to always be looking over her shoulder. Students should not have to worry about being attacked whilst trying to get an education. Counselling should be on hand at all times and all students should attend a compulsory unit about sexism, appropriate behaviour and respect of others.”
“Through a traumatised friend I know that the effects of sexual assault are both immediate and ongoing. Through research, I know that the effects can be reduced with counselling and more efficiently reduced when counselling comes early. It is important both to deter sexual assault and also to address it effectively when it happens.”
“I am a retired senior medical academic. These tales of sexual violence are horrific and early counselling is essential.”
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Can you help build the pressure on universities to take action? Add your support and share your message here: http://fairagenda.org/uni_counselling