Thursday, 1 May 2008

A campaign on the danger of sexual assault and how to access help after an attack has been launched by students from The University of Western Australia, after a recent in-house survey found that most students thought they were not at risk.

The finding, in a survey conducted by the student-run Sexual Assault Awareness for Everyone (SAAFE) team, comes despite 2007 statistics showing that almost one in five Australian women aged 17-24 experienced sexual violence over a 12 month period.

The UWA survey found that nearly two-thirds of students believed they were not at risk of sexual assault.  More than a third of students would leave their drink unattended at a social event and then return to drink it, and almost 50 percent of students have accepted drinks from strangers, despite widespread publicity about the risks of drink-spiking.

Many students were also unaware of the services at UWA available to help victims of sexual assault.  Students were found to be more likely to speak to friends or family if assaulted rather than a doctor or counsellor.

SAAFE spokeswoman Jacinta Ellis said the team aimed to "educate and create awareness of sexual assault, highlighting the importance of safe behaviours, reporting incidents and seeking professional help".

Ms Ellis said that many victims were left traumatised and burdened by the threat of fear, humiliation and shame.

"Victims need to understand that what happened to them was not their fault, and there are many services available to support them," she said.

SAAFE will be speaking to UWA students next Tuesday at the University's ‘Health Day'.  SAAFE will be raising awareness among students of the issue of sexual assault, educating students on what they can do to prevent being assaulted and providing information on what services are available for victims.

Photo opportunities will be available at the SAAFE zone during Health Day, from 11am - 2pm on Tuesday, May 6, on the Oak Lawn at The University of Western Australia.

For statistics on sexual assault, see:  Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, 2007, Statistical Information.  Available from: https://www.aifs.gov.au/acssa/statistics.html [7 April 2008]

Media references

David Youens (SAAFE)  0411 641 086
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  61 8  6488 5563  /  0432 637 716

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