General News
20 March, 2023
Education key to sex assault service’s expansion program
RISING sexual assault figures in Queensland are proving how vital the only free and confidential service for victims in Cairns has become.
While Cairns Sexual Assault Service (CSAS) is Queensland Government funded, it is looking for private sponsors and partnerships to expand its operations to include prevention and education programs.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2021, police recorded 31,118 victims of sexual assault in Australia, an increase of 13 per cent on 2020. Victimisation rates reached their highest in 29 years, with 121 victims per 100,000 people.
Queensland experienced the largest increase in 2021, with 6891 victims recorded, an increase of 35 per cent compared to 2020.
Most victims were women, and a third of cases were related to family and domestic violence.
As part of True Relationships and Reproductive Health, Cairns Sexual Assault Service (CSAS), based at 182 Grafton St, has been operating for 15 years and receives over 2500 visits per year from Cairns and Far Northern sexual assault victims.
True Relationship and Reproductive Health chief executive Dr Karen Struthers said statistics showed how essential services like CSAS were for the Cairns region.
“In the short term, this increase in reported figures signals a positive indication that women have developed the confidence to report their assault cases, and also that they now know where to go to seek help and support,” she said.
“In the longer term, however, it is concerning that numbers are rising and indicates the essential nature of services like our CSAS.
“The need for 24-7 support services like CSAS looks like it is increasing, but with continued education and conversations within the sector, we still need to work toward reducing sexual assault.”
The services at CSAS are free and confidential and range from information and support for victims and survivors, face-to-face and telephone counselling, 24-hour crisis support for anyone presenting at the Cairns Hospital Emergency Department or the police after a recent sexual assault, on-site clinical care, including STI checks, pregnancy testing, emergency contraception and more.
True’s general manager Alisa Cork said “CSAS looks explicitly after victims of sexual assault; this service is mainly for adults.
Our other service is True Child and Family Service, which offers counselling and support for children and families focused on sexual abuse.
“For CSAS and Child and Family Services, people have to ring first, but we have a 24/7 hotline for sexual assault service. So there’s always an on-call counsellor and sexual assault service provider that can come out and help people.
Beyond, True wants to expand into prevention and education to reduce the concerning sexual assault figures across the state.
“We provide education services, but at the moment, we don’t have an educator in Cairns; we’re trying to find one, so it’s a resourcing issue,” Ms Cork said.
“Once we have one, we’ll be able to send people out to schools and provide that education,” she said. Ms Cork said that support from the community was also key to keeping services like CSAS operating.
“Queensland Government funds us, but we’re always looking for opportunities with sponsors and donors,” she said.
“That’s a big push for this year because it helps us get that extra funding to build and grow and bring an educator up here.”
