000			03482nam a2200277Ia 4500
999			_c2815 _d2815
001			113219
005			20250625151227.0
008			110331s2005 eng
020			_a1920851976
040			_aWSS _dAFV
082	0		_a362.883 STU
100			_aLievore, Denise _91558
245			_aNo longer silent : _ba study of women's help-seeking decisions and service responses to sexual assault _cLievore, Denise
260			_aCanberra _bDepartment of Family and Community Services _c2005
300			_aix, 167p. ; computer file : PDF format (1.27mb)
365			_a00 _b0
520			_aIn 2004 the Australian Government Office for Women commissioned the Australian Institute of Criminology to conduct a qualitative study of victim/survivor decision-making and coordinated responses to adult sexual assault. The research addresses gaps in knowledge about the social and personal contingencies that influence victim/survivors' help-seeking behaviour and their decisions in respect of the criminal justice system and on the efficacy of coordinated service responses to sexual assault. One of the primary aims of the study is to provide information for service providers so that they can offer suitable support to help victim/survivors make informed decisions about whether to pursue legal redress. The study had two components. The first part was based on interviews with 36 female victim/survivors of adult sexual assault who were recruited through sexual assault services across Australia, and examined social and personal factors that impact on victim/survivors' decisions to seek help from various sources, including whether to pursue legal redress; which support services were perceived as helpful or unhelpful; and recommendations on ways of improving criminal justice responses. To complement the women's narratives, 65 sexual assault counsellors were asked to give their views on factors that influence women's decisions to report sexual assault to police and to continue through or withdraw from the criminal justice process. The second component of the study collected qualitative information on sexual assault workers' perceptions of the efficacy of coordinated service provision and their recommendations for improving service delivery. Fifty-five staff at fourteen sexual assault services across Australia were consulted about their experiences of collaborating with criminal justice and forensic medical personnel. The study finds, overall, that women's decisions about where to seek help and the responses of the recipients of their disclosures are patterned by a spectrum of social and personal factors that, for the most part, perpetuate the silencing of survivors. While the response of the criminal justice system has improved, all too often it continues to be implicated in secondary victimisation and in maintaining the secrecy around sexual assault. Many research participants were disillusioned with the criminal justice system, but their participation in the study was motivated by the belief that system change is possible. Recommendations put forward in the report largely focus on improving social responses to sexual assault and promoting organisational change.
522			_aau
650	2	7	_2FVC _aSEX CRIMES _9526
650	2	4	_aSOCIAL SERVICES _9555
650	2	7	_2FVC _aWOMEN _9645
650	2	4	_aSEXUAL VIOLENCE _9531
651		4	_aAUSTRALIA _92597
856			_uhttp://www.aic.gov.au/publications/archive/no-longer-silent
942			_2ddc _cREPORT