Representatives from family medicine, forensic medicine, police, law and social justice followed with a panel discussion on current challenges and best practises in the area. Associate Professor Jan Coles of Monash University spoke on behalf of medical practitioners, in particular General Practitioners where she touched on the women’s experience when seeing doctors, safety issues for women and babies, our professional response and the vital need to notice and respond appropriately to cues. Ms Carolyn Worth, social worker and manager of CASA (Centre Against Sexual Assault forum) outlined their service system from humble beginnings as a single centre operation ‘The Collingwood Collective’ in the 1970’s, to the CASA of today with 15 centres state-wide including 9 rural and 6 metropolitan offices responding to survivors of sexual trauma. She also addressed the challenges to service provision such as geographical accessibility, knowledge of service and its relevance to minority groups such as men, children and gay, lesbian, bi and transgender groups.
Dr Angela Williams of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, who works closely with victims of crime sparked some impassioned stories from the invited guests when she discussed some of the current attitudes and shortfalls in the care of survivors of sexual violence. Particularly she touched on fears we hold as health care providers that we may ‘open Pandora’s Box’, that we lack the knowledge or skills, that we may do more harm than help and the fear of the legal process. She called for a more integrated approach where legal, medical and police services could work together in a holistic approach to the individual.
Det. Snr. Sgt. Tom Naim, of the SOCAU Unit, Victoria Police showed us the role police play in this area, the need and trends of police reporting, some outcomes of multidisciplinary team investigations and the value they have found in an integrated approach with in-house CASA workers. He mentioned the importance of dignity and respect, professional attitude and an open-mindedness in the ‘search for truth’ when faced with a potential survivor of sexual trauma. This tied very nicely in with Dr Vivian Waller of Waller Legal as she educated the doctors in the room to some legalities and options in responding to the victims of sexual assault, avenues for seeking compensation for victims of sexual assault and dispute resolution.
The evening formalities were closed with a stirring presentation from Prof Carolyn Taylor, Professor of Social Justice at Edith Cowen University W.A. Though she was speaking to the converted, she opened our eyes a little further to the enduring effects of sexual trauma. 80% of sexual trauma is by someone well known to the victim. Whilst sexual violence inflicted by a stranger tends to be reported within 72 hours, it usually takes ten or more years for a woman to disclose that she has been the victim of sexual violence by a family member or someone well-known to her. A history of sexual abuse makes you more vulnerable to being a victim of sexual violence as an adult. She quoted Martin Luther King as she impressed upon us a necessity for an ‘impatience with the notion of time’: that the time for talking needs to end and the time for action needs to be upon us, and that holistically we all have a role. ‘We need government policy to provide the funds, expertise, space and support, it must be informed and there must be longitudinal research into the health impacts and health interventions.’
The Victorian Medical Women’s Society offer our thanks to sponsors the ANZ Bank and the Australian Vehicle Buying Service and to all who made the night such a success, the Australian Women’s Coalition, the Australian Federation for Medical Women, Victoria Police, Edith Cowen University and Victorian Women Lawyers. The report was well received with attendees and invited guests mingling well into the night.
