Any party looking to form government in Victoria this November must commit to increasing funding for specialist sexual assault services, says SASVic, the peak body for specialist sexual assault and harmful sexual behaviour services.
SASVic CEO Kathleen Maltzahn says, ‘Sexual assault workers, wherever they go, make a profound difference in people’s lives. But services are facing extreme challenges. Exposure to violent and misogynistic pornography and non-consensual sexual deepfakes, harmful sexual behavior in schools, and strangulation during sex are in the headlines everyday, but community concern hasn’t led to the commitments we need from government. We need funding that meets the expectations of the Victorian community and allows us to answer calls from anyone who is doing their best to respond to sexual violence but needs expert help.”
The latest Victorian crime data shows that since 2023, recorded sexual offences have increased by 23.7%, yet the sector’s funding has stagnated and no longer covers the cost of essential services, nor does it provide the flexibility needed to meet new challenges.
There are 19 specialist sexual assault and harmful sexual behaviour services providing 24/7 crisis response, counselling and advocacy across the state. They also provide services to children engaging in harmful sexual behaviour, alongside prevention, community education and secondary consultations to professionals who need specialist expertise.
Cover the cost of secondary consultations
SASVic is calling for increased funding to support the work of specialist sexual assault services. Requests from professionals who need help to respond to the types of sexual violence they are seeing have skyrocketed and yet the work that our sector does every day to respond remains invisible.
Services hear from schools, early childhood education staff, doctors, nurses, family violence workers, residential aged care workers and other sectors looking for specialist expertise.
‘Secondary consultations build people’s capacity to respond safely and effectively to disclosures and impacts of sexual violence,’ says Nadine Ramsey, Clinical Lead at at South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (SECASA).
A manager from a local residential aged care facility recently contacted SECASA about a resident, who we’ll call *Barbara, who was becoming increasingly distressed during personal care activities such as showering and dressing. Barbara had early-stage dementia, and staff were aware she had experienced sexual violence perpetrated by her now deceased husband.
SECASA provided a series of secondary consultations to a small group of staff involved in Barbara’s care, helping them understand how her past trauma may be contributing to her distress.
As a result, staff felt more confident supporting Barbara and developed a greater understand of the impacts of sexual violence across someone’s life, as well as practical skills to enhance trauma-informed care.
SASVic CEO Kathleen Maltzahn says, ‘There’s hardly ever a room where someone hasn’t experienced sexual harm or known someone who has. Resourcing the community to be better at responding to that is vital. That requires stable, flexible funding for the specialist sector.’
