White Ribbon

Great to see this report on the ABC about White Ribbon Day and the White Ribbon Conference.
1 woman dies each week in Australia because of relationship violence. The risk of this violence increases when a woman is pregnant.
THIS IS CRAZY. We all have an ethical responsibility to speak out when we hear about or see violence against women. This doesn't matter if it is something we see online or in front of us in real time. No more are all of us able to be a passive bystander.
Sexual health includes relationship work and gendered oppression. If you see something speak up.

Relationship Violence - talk now

Their FB site is HERE

Celebrity shows us the power of gender and ownership

This is a really good article from the blog sexbodygender that discusses the way the celebrity chasing, representation, media portrayal actually shows us many times assault, sexual assault and abuse of power but.... becuase it is celebrity we ignore it. By ignoring it all we are doing is maintaining the status quo: Below is a quote from the blog: Thanks to The Sociological Cinema for sharing this link.

Celebrity is possibly the closest analogue that blurs the lines of race and gender, and approximates the level of entitlement society feels about women’s choices, bodies, and sexuality, all the time. The invasive glare of the spotlight and the way people demand access to those who are famous, is comparable to the objectification women are subjected to on a daily basis. 

sexual assault posted online

'Untold damage': alleged party sex attack ends up online Megan Levy


May 2, 2012 - 6:29AM



Four young people have been arrested after a teenage girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at a party in Melbourne’s west and footage of the incident was uploaded onto social networking sites, police say.



The alleged offenders are expected to be charged on summons with manufacturing and distributing child pornography and sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16 after the incident at a party in Altona Meadows in January.



Detective Senior Sergeant Jenny Wilson issued a warning to parents and young people about the ‘‘darker side’’ of social networking following the alleged assault, which was filmed and posted on multiple social networking sites for other people to view.


Click here tor ead more

Youth Sexual Assault Service

Information for you in case you need it ( for people in South Australia)

Youth Sexual assault/ abuse counselling service (YSAACS) is – for now - located at Yarrow Place. Please refer people to ph no : 1800 351 700.

This service offers counselling to 12-18 year olds.
{Note: Under 16 y.o’s do not receive a medical (forensic exam.) but will go to Child Protection Unit (CPU) at the WCH nearby, if wanting that.}

Child Sexual abuse

For any of you who have worked with adult survivors of child sexual abuse you will know that the provision of a supportive, flexible , respectful accessable service is not always easy. When working with male survivors this difficulty can take many forms. I have recently come across a website that I think is pretty good. Its called 'living well' go here to have a look. It is a site designed for men who have experienced child sexual abuse or sexual assault

You will find topics such as:
Child sexual abuse
Adult Sexual Assault
Common Problems
Stories of acknowledgement and Hope
Relationships, sexuality and sex
Counselling etc

Research Project - seeking particpants

This is from the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault

The Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (ACSSA) is seeking participants for a research project. We would like to speak with adults who have experienced sexual assault(s) in adulthood (i.e. the assault(s) happened when aged 18 or over), and who are able to discuss the assault(s) with an experienced researcher.

The purpose of the research is to draw on the knowledge of people who have been sexually assaulted to expand understandings of how sexual assaults are perpetrated, better inform the community about this, better equip police to respond to this crime, inform therapists who work with sex offenders, and overall stop sexual violence from happening. We are doing this project because we believe people who have experienced sexual assault have important knowledge about how this crime is perpetrated. But they are not often asked to share this knowledge. When they are asked, it is usually in a police interview or in court, where they may not have control over what is discussed, or how it is discussed.

The focus of the interview will be to hear from you about the assault(s) , the perpetrator(s) of the assault(s), and how they did it. We are also keen to hear what you think would have to happen to stop the perpetrator(s) from committing further assaults.

Participation in this research will involve either doing an interview with a researcher from ACSSA, or being part of a group discussion with other participants, facilitated by ACSSA. If you currently have a counsellor, we encourage you to discuss your decision to take part with them. You can also have your counsellor with you for the research interview if you would like. The researchers involved in the project are experienced at talking with people about sexual assault, and you will have control over the interview. (You can stop it at any time.)

We would like to hear from you, if you:

1. are a female aged 18 or over
2. have been the victim of sexual assault that happened as an adult (18+ and how you define 'sexual assault' is up to you)
3. have received counselling or are receiving counselling which involved speaking directly about the assault(s) live in the Northern Territory, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia or Queensland
If you would like to take part in this project, please contact Haley Clark (03) 9214 7878 or email: haley.clark@aifs.gov.au at the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (ACSSA), housed at the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) by 29 May 2009.

If you have any questions about the research you can also contact Antonia Quadara, ACSSA co-ordinator, on (03) 9214 7876 or the AIFS Ethics Committee on (03) 9214 7881.

AIFS also has a toll-free 1800 352 275 number which you can call. Please use the shortened 'Giving Voice' to AIFS reception so they can transfer you to Haley, Antonia, or the Ethics Committee.

To read more go here

Sexual Assault Part of School Life!!!!

Its about time we stop accepting any form of assault and abuse as 'normal' (This was sent to me by one of the youthnetwork blog readers)

Sexual assault 'part of school life'

A new report has found sexual assault between school students is being ignored because it is seen as part of normal high school life. The Australian Institute of Family Studies report says school children are often reluctant to report sexual assault from other students because the fear the social consequences and do not think they will be believed.
It says most children find it hard to define when they have been sexually assaulted by another student.

The institute's general manager of research, Dr Daryl Higgins, says teachers are also dismissing sexual assault between high school students too easily.

"I think for teachers it's really difficult to be able to recognise that there's a serious problem on their hands when children at their school are being subjected to, let's say, an assault from a peer at a school," he said.
"It's much easier to turn a blind eye."

The report recommends schools do more to support young people who report assault, like creating safe areas, offering more training for teachers and separating victims and perpetrators. It says while only about 15 per cent of sexual assaults are reported to police, around two-thirds of victims tell someone in their informal support network.
The report says older teenagers aged between 14 and 17 are more likely to tell someone.
It also says situations involving technology like mobile phones, digital cameras and the Internet are difficult to define as assault under the law.

In 2006, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found 14 per cent of females and 3 per cent of males aged 12 to 20 had been sexually assaulted, most of them by people they knew.

Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault

Have a look at this site: In their latest newsletter you will find information on...

Dr Jan Jordans' recently published book Serial Survivors: Women's Narratives of Surviving Rape, based on her interviews with 14 women who were all assaulted by convicted New Zealand serial rapist, Malcolm Rewa.

The SADA project (Sexual Assault in Disability and Aged care Action Strategy). Project and how it has gone about improving responses to and prevention of sexual assault in those institutions responsible for the care of some of the most vulnerable members of the community.

There is a review of Joanna Bourke's Rape: A History From 1860 to the Present, as well as brief summaries and reviews of a number of recent research publications and conferences of relevance to the sexual assault sector. As always, AIFS Librarian Joan Kelleher has compiled a comprehensive bibliography of recent publications related to sexual assault and violence against women.

Also - have a look at this sad but strong post on the 'pictures worth a thousand words' website. Here is what the site is about.
"A Picture's Worth" was launched on 1 August 2003 as a personal project to highlight the emotions and memories triggered by a photograph of personal significance. By inspiring people to bring out the meaning or story behind a personal photograph, "A Picture's Worth" provides a haven for people to truly "show and tell".

Men as victims of sexual assault

I want to approach the myth that men are not victims of sexual assault with this diagram ( taken from the Australian Institute of Criminology website).

While we know that women are overwhelmingly the majority of victims of sexual assault - this does not mean that men are not victims as well.

What is amazing to me is that while only .6% of men have been victims of sexual assault: THIS ACTUALLY TRANSLATES TO 42000 PEOPLE. ( Imagine what the actual numbers of women is!!!!!)

Yet again the perpetrators are almost always family members or friends: "Findings of sexual assault against men aged 18 and over in the 12 months before the survey include that 0.6 percent of men (42,300) experienced sexual assault, and that 44 percent (18,500) of these men experienced sexual assault by a family member or friend in the most recent incident, 35 percent (14,900) by an other known person and 33 percent (13,900) by a stranger".

The numbers of people in our society that are in some way effected by violence is staggering. The numbers of people that are effected by sexual violence is staggering.

Its time to bring this stuff into the open - to engage in discourse - to stop supporting the media in its condoning of violence-to stop supporting hyper masculinity - to stop the sexualisation of children and on and on.

All I can say is: I need it.