Mallee Sexual Assault Unit and SECASA have been chosen to pilot Victoria’s innovative Justice Navigator roles to support survivors of sexual violence to navigate the complex support, compensation, justice and recovery options available to them. The highly specialised service will be offered at no cost to survivors.
Contact Brett de Hoedt of Hootville Communications on 0414 713 802 or brett@hootville.com
The State Government funded pilot is a partnership between Family Safety Victoria and SASVic, Victoria’s peak body for specialist sexual assault and harmful sexual behaviour services. Recruitment for the pilot starts today.
SASVic CEO, Kathleen Maltzahn says, ‘We’re incredibly pleased to see Justice Navigators finally become a reality. This pilot is not about whether they will work or whether they are necessary, because they are. Too often victim survivors report that their experience of the legal system is traumatising and confusing or that they can’t find the right services to help them recover. The burden can no longer be on survivors to navigate our complex and disempowering systems to seek justice and to recover.”
Victoria’s Justice Navigators are modeled on longstanding independent sexual violence advisors (ISVA) roles in England and Wales, and have operated in the ACT for over a year. Research shows that ISVAs in England and Wales halved the number of survivors who dropped out of legal procedures.
There are 19 specialist sexual assault services across Victoria – some are independent and some exist as part of hospitals. The pilot sites have been chosen to test the roles in different settings, including regional and metro Victoria.
Justice Navigators will:
support survivors to understand and exercise their rights
assist survivors to navigate all the support, compensation, justice and recovery options available to them, including both criminal and civil procedures
be free and available to survivors for as long as support is needed.
The new roles will work alongside Counsellor Advocates, who provide specialist, feminist-informed counselling, advocacy and support for all survivors of sexual violence, whether adults or children.
Sexual violence is widespread in society but it is one of the most under-reported crimes. The Victorian Law Reform Commission found that this can be because people fear not being believed, community attitudes toward sexual violence and the poor response from the justice system.
About the pilot sites
Mallee Sexual Assault Unit – Mallee Domestic Violence Services (MSAU-MDVS) is a specialist not-for-profit organisation supporting victim survivors of family and sexual violence across the Mallee region. MSAU-MDVS provides crisis care, support and healing services to individuals, children and families impacted by family and sexual violence. Serving more than 100,000 people across northern Victoria and border communities, MSAU-MDVS delivers services from locations in Mildura and Swan Hill, through outreach services to rural and remote communities across the region, and as a partner within The Orange Door.
South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) is a specialist service providing free counselling, advocacy and support. SECASA offers a 24/7 sexual assault crisis response, alongside therapeutic interventions for children, young people and their families who have experience sexual assault, family violence, or the impacts of harmful sexual behaviour. They support individuals who live, work or attend school within the south-east metropolitan Melbourne catchment, across the relevant local government areas and shires. SECASA has 10 offices from St Kilda to the Mornington Peninsula, Cranbourne, Pakenham and Berwick. SECASA also offers Primary Prevention Programs to community groups and schools.
Contact Brett de Hoedt of Hootville Communications on 0414 713 802 or brett@hootville.com for media enquiries. SASVic, Mallee Sexual Assault Unit and SE CASA are available to provide comment on this exciting initiative.