The NSW Service for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) has been awarded joint NSW and Commonwealth Government funding, to deliver programs for refugee communities, that will respond to sexual violence.
STARTTS has received $386,775 from NSW Dept of Communities and Justice as part of the Sexual Violence Project Fund grants program.
Over the next 2 years, STARTTS will work with young people, adults, and parents in Southwest and Western Sydney, to co-design early intervention supports for refugee victim-survivors, their families, and communities.
The CEO of STARTTS, Jorge Aroche said that sexual violence is a widespread interpersonal form of trauma that has far reaching impacts for victim-survivors.
“As a specialist state-wide torture and trauma treatment service, STARTTS is well placed to work with refugee communities on this issue” , he said.
Mr Aroche said that many refugees have experienced sexual violence before they arrive in Australia. “Sexual violence can be used as a form of torture in the context of organised violence and war, while refugee women and girls are at particular risk, before, during, and after displacement and exile”, he said.
Mr Aroche stated that programs supporting refugee victim-survivors of sexual violence are vital during resettlement in Australia.
People from refugee backgrounds are a priority population in the NSW Sexual Violence Strategy 2023-2027.
STARTTS will work with communities to strengthen awareness on how to prevent and respond to sexual violence.
The funding will allow STARTTS to extend culturally safe places for people from refugee backgrounds to make informed decisions about the services that can benefit them and access information about sexual and reproductive health rights and wellbeing.
