‘600’ seek sex crime support

Andrew Mathieson
ALMOST 600 people sought help at Geelong’s peak support service for sexual assault victims in the past 12 months, according to latest figures.
But Barwon Centre Against Sexual Assault said victims and perpetrators dealing with the “difficulty” of their experiences missed hundreds of scheduled appointments for counselling and support.
The centre released the figures as Geelong marked White Ribbon Day this week.
The centre reported that about 15 per cent of people who reported “incidents” remained anonymous before walking away from the offer of ongoing support.
Another 200 new family violence cases were also registered at the agency.
Centre chief executive Barbara Henry said in her annual report that the help available in counselling sessions was not always reaching victims of alleged assaults.
The centre’s clients had failed to turn up for more than 800 scheduled appointments over the 12 months, she said.
“Scheduled appointment non-attendance is a challenging issue,” Mrs Henry said.
“We have tried several strategies to reduce the number of appointments not attended, but with little success to date. However, we acknowledge the difficulty of seeking support for sexual assault and family violence related issues.”
The agency also provided therapeutic counselling and support treatment services to 37 children aged under 15 who displayed “problematic sexual behaviours”.
More than 17 per cent of children under 12 who contacted the centre and a further 32 per cent aged between 13 and 20 had sought help with alleged sexual assault.
Family violence incidents were more prevalent among older clients, the centre reported.
Nearly two-thirds of clients involved in family violence were 21 or older but cases involving children almost doubled the number of teens seeking treatment.
Encouraging figures included 257 people returning for secondary consultations over violence.
Mrs Henry said the key to reducing assaults was community education.
“We continue to actively support the community by participating in various committees and conferences to raise awareness that sexual assault and family violence is not acceptable and requires a community responses to work towards prevention and elimination,” she said.
The centre’s sexual assault 24-hour crisis line is available on 1800 806 292. A women’s domestic violence resource centre is available on 1800 015 188.