December 10, 2024

Annual report highlights progress on sexual harm prevention

Safe and Respectful Communities is driving change by empowering victim-survivors and focusing on prevention

The University of Wollongong (UOW) is committed to creating a safe and respectful environment for all members of the community. The Safe and Respectful Communities (SARC) team is leading the University’s prevention work in the areas of sexual harm and gender-based violence, through a series of support and education initiatives.

The Safe and Respectful Communities 2024 Annual Report: Sexual Harm Response and Prevention provides a snapshot of the work being undertaken at UOW in response to the National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) findings that identified the need to increase awareness of sexual violence and drive attitudinal and cultural change across Australian universities.

The annual report also provides a summary of the sexual harm reports and disclosures that were received by SARC in 2023 across all UOW campuses in Australia and the types of support provided.

Interim Chief Integrity Officer Joanne Braithwaite said building on the previous’ years report extensive work has been undertaken to further increase awareness of sexual assault and sexual harassment and offer support to those impacted.  

“UOW’s action plan and initiatives ensure staff and students are aware of the prevalence of gender-based violence within a university context and are trained to confidently recognise, respond and refer victim-survivors to specialist support," Ms Braithwaite said.

“The safety and wellbeing of UOW students and staff is paramount. Our ongoing commitment is to ensure a safe environment is provided for all. Everybody has the right to be safe.”

SARC Senior Manager Kylie McElhone said the SARC team conducted presentations, workshops, and training for over 3,500 students and staff during 2023. In addition, last year 9,375 students completed the Consent Matters online module, bringing the total number of completions to almost 30,000 since it launched in 2022.

“Our approach is to ensure there are safe and informal opportunities to share information about SARC services across campus and community events throughout the year, so students and staff are aware of where to turn to if they need help,” Mrs McElhone said.

^{Members of the Safe and Respectful Communities team stand next to a large "Respect" sign.}

Initiatives such as Bystander Intervention Training for staff and students, Respectful Relationships Workshops and the mandatory Consent Matters module encourage students to have open and honest conversations about respect and their right to feel safe.

SARC offers personalised support for students who have witnessed or experienced trauma including sexual assault, harassment, domestic and family violence, bullying or discrimination, along with undertaking a range of misconduct and investigation functions.

In 2023, there was an increase in disclosures of sexual assault and sexual harassment and domestic and family violence made to SARC, up from 183 in 2022 to 214 in 2023.

“SARC’s continued focus on awareness raising and promotion of the support available at UOW has been successful in reaching more victim-survivors and gaining their trust, making them more likely to seek support. We want people to know support is available and we’re here to stand alongside them if they want to make a formal report,” Mrs McElhone said.

With the implementation of the National Higher Education Code to prevent and respond to Gender-based violence approaching, UOW is on track to meet the majority of requirements of the code.    

“We’re frequently being contacted by other universities across Australia wanting to know what we’re doing at UOW, our team has quickly established a reputation for providing our students with quality support in distressing times,” Mrs McElhone said.

Beyond being a first port of call for people looking for help and support, SARC offers access to victims services, referral to community specialist services and wellbeing support, academic consideration, safety planning and coordinating emergency accommodation. When victim-survivors want to make formal reports the team will assist them with reporting to the University or to police, including making formal statements, applying for apprehended violence orders and attending court proceedings.

Of the 214 disclosures in 2023, 64 involved incidents on campus, 106 were off campus. The location of the other 44 incidents was unknown.

“It doesn’t matter when or where the incident has occurred, we are here to support victim-survivors at whatever stage of their recovery they are in and help them manage the impact on their studies. We want to help them stay engaged and reach their academic goals, while navigating the trauma they have experienced.”

“We know the interactions that students have with the SARC team have a real impact and change lives. Many students have said they felt supported through extremely difficult times, staff validated their feelings and gave them a voice when they felt they had lost their voice.”