Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Discrimination/ Violence

Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Discrimination/ Violence

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Definitions

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment can be defined as:

  • unwanted sexual advances, or unwelcome requests for sexual favours; or
  • other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature; and
  • in the circumstances, a reasonable person would have expected you to be offended, humiliated or intimidated by this behaviour.

Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual behaviour which is likely to offend, humiliate or intimidate. It has nothing to do with mutual attraction or friendship. Examples include:

  • unwelcome physical touching including deliberately brushing up against a person;
  • uninvited kisses or embraces;
  • requests for sex;
  • staring or leering;
  • sexually explicit conversation;
  • suggestive comments or jokes;
  • unwanted requests to go out on dates, especially after the prior refusal;
  • emailing pornography or rude jokes;
  • sending sexually explicit texts;
  • intrusive questions about your private life or body;
  • displaying posters, magazines or screen savers of a sexual nature;
  • making promises or threats in return for sexual favours;
  • “flashing” (exposing private parts of the body) or sexual gestures;
  • sex based insults, taunts, teasing or name-calling;
  • touching or fiddling with a person’s clothing e.g. lifting up skirts, flicking bra straps;
  • offensive phone calls or letters;
  • stalking, sexual insults or taunting;
  • offensive messages through new technologies such as mobile phone cameras, social networking websites, emails or SMS/MMS communications.
Sexual assault
Consent or Not

https://www.1800respect.org.au/violence-and-abuse/sexual-assault-and-violence/consent

Gender-Based Discrimination/ Violence

Gender-Based Discrimination/ Violence can be defined as;

  • discrimination on the grounds of sex and/or gender in a work context
  • sexual harassment in connection with work
  • sex-based and/or gender-based harassment in connection with work
  • conduct creating a workplace environment that is hostile on the grounds of sex and/or gender
  • related acts of victimisation

For any grievance refer to the Student Academic Grievance and Appeals Policy & Procedures or Student Non-Academic Grievance and Appeals Policy & Procedures.

Any critical incident, sexual harassment, sexual assault and or gender based violence  can be reported via  sexual harassment form or via the critical incident report form.

For more information see Equity and Diversity Policy and Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Prevention Policy and Procedure.

Sexual Health

Sexual Health

“A state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.”

(WHO, 2006a)

You can access a range of sexual health services by making an appointment with your GP who can support you with any sexual health concerns. Services can include and are not limited to STI testing, PrEP and PEP assessments and prescribed medication, Contraception options and Cervical screening.

Further information on Sexual Health can also be found for each state via the below links:

Victoria: Sexual Health Victoria – https://shvic.org.au/
New South Wales: New South Wales Health – https://www.sshc.org.au/
Queensland: Queensland Health – https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/sex-health/services

Support Services

APIC has zero tolerance for sexual assault and harassment. We maintain the right of every student and staff member to feel safe and respected at all times on campuses. The College is committed to supporting students and staff affected by sexual assault or harassment, gender-based discrimination or violence regardless of where and when it takes place.

You can also find information on student support services for Sexual Assault, Harassment, Gender-Based Violence, and Discrimination on the Student Hub. Kindly refer to the links below:

Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment (SASH)
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Discrimination

If you are in immediate danger call 000.

Internal Support Services

You may want to speak to someone for support and more information or to help you decide whether and how to report. In person or via a telephone call, please call 1300 870 962 or use the contacts provided below and ask to speak with one of the following Student Services Co-ordinators for a confidential discussion:

Pia Pohankar @Sydney Campus

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (02) 87663645

Michelle Gillick @Melbourne Campus

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (03) 7035 5327

Darsha Pathirage @Brisbane Campus

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (07) 3210 7407

Judas Finneran @Brisbane Campus

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (07) 3210 7410

These staff have successfully completed the Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence training.

*If you are unable to connect with the Student Services Co-ordinator, please call 1300 870 962 and ask for the Student Services Co-ordinator in your preferred location.

External Support Services

If you would like to speak to someone outside of the College you can access the College’s external counseling service, Converge International, who have counselors and psychologists trained to support victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment call 1300 687 327. Calling or contacting the service does not mean you are reporting the incident. These services offer support and help and will be able to provide you with the information you may require if you decide you do want to report the incident. The College’s external counselling services are available to all students and staffs. Any students or staff impacted can receive up to 10 confidential counselling sessions free of charge.

Full Stop Australia – Sexual and domestic/family violence support – 24/7 hour Support

Call: 1800 385 578

Visit Website

1800Respect – National domestic/family and sexual violence support service – 24/7 Support

Call: 1800 737 732

Visit Website

Converge International

Call: 1300 687 327

Visit Website

For immediate support anywhere in Australia you can also contact Beyond Blue (phone, chat online and email services available). In an emergency, Lifeline provides 24-hour telephone and online chat crisis support.

Beyond Blue

Beyond Blue is an independent, not-for-profit organisation working to increase awareness of depression, anxiety and related disorders throughout Australia. Beyond Blue works with health services, colleges, schools, workplaces, universities, media and community organisations, as well as people living with these disorders, to bring together their expertise. For students dealing with depression, anxiety and related disorders, the Beyond Blue website has excellent resources.

Lifeline

Lifeline has a 24/7 telephone counselling service and can be contacted on 13 11 14. Lifeline telephone counsellors are ready to talk and listen, no matter how big or how small the problem might seem. They are trained to offer emotional support in times of crisis or when callers may be feeling low or in need of advice.

Health and Other Emergency Contacts

In Australia if you are feeling unwell or have a minor injury, your first point of contact is a general practitioner (GP) who works at a health service or doctors’ surgery. A GP can assist you with a wide variety of medical conditions from colds and flu to minor injuries such as sprains or cuts, to travel vaccinations and sexual health checks. If needed, a GP can provide a script for medication or write a referral letter for you so you can see a specialist.

  • Allianz OSHC – 24/7 emergency helpline – 1800 814 781
  • Are you unwell after hours? Call the Doctor to you. Ph: 137425 (13SICK)
  • Medical Services (24 hour) – 13 55 66
  • Dental Emergency Service (24 hour) -1300 78 38 47
  • Translation and Interpreting Services -131 450
  • Direct Health 24 Hour Health Advice Line Ph: 1800 022 222
  • NSW: My Health Medical Practice – Parramatta Westfield, Ph: (02) 8624 6977
  • NSW: Isra Medical Services Parramatta, Ph: (02) 9098 4545
  • QLD: Brisbane City Doctors, 289 Queen Street, Brisbane Ph: (07) 3221 3366
  • QLD: Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Ph: (07) 3646 8111
  • All States: Visit the emergency department of a hospital
  • NSW: Sydney Dental Hospital, 2 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills, Ph: 02 9293 3200
  • QLD: Oral Health Services, many locations, Ph: 1300 300 850
  • National Poison Information Services, Ph: 13 11 26
  • MensLine Australia Ph: 1300 78 99 78
  • Full Stop Australia Ph: 1800 385 578
  • 1800Respect – National Domestic, family and Sexual Violence Ph: 1800 737 732
  • Rape Crisis Centre Ph: 1800 424 017
  • NSW: Alcohol & Drug Information Ph: 1800 422 599
  • QLD: Alcohol and Drug Support Ph: 1800 177 833
  • National Quit (smoking) Line Ph: 137 848
  • National Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
  • National LGBTIQA+ Support: QLife Ph: 1800 184 527

13SICK National Home Doctor Service

13SICK National Home Doctor Service is an after-hours home doctor service for when your local GP is closed. Overseas students who have Overseas Student Healthcare Cover (OSHC) with Allianz, NIB, Medibank Private or BUPA will not be charged a fee for the home doctor visit. For other types of membership, payment is required to be made upon booking. The service can provide a receipt for your home doctor visit, which you can log with your insurer for a refund.

Report an Incident

All reports of sexual harassment, sexual assault and or gender based violence are treated in the strictest confidence and privacy.

Informal reporting to the College: please speak to the Student Services Coordinators above who will help you.

Formal reporting via the sexual harassment form or the critical incident report form

Anonymous reporting: If you would like to report an incident anonymously please complete this form and a member of the SASH Taskforce will be in contact with you within 24 hours. Please note; submissions for this form are monitored only Monday-Friday 9am-5pm (AEST), excluding public holidays. If it is an emergency please contact 000.

For information on formal reporting to the police please click the link relevant to the state you currently reside in:


For further information on reporting and disclosing the incident please refer to Section 8 of the Student Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Policy and Procedures.

What happens after you report?

The College recognises that reporting incidents of sexual harassment or sexual assault is extremely confronting. Our team will do our best to ensure you feel safe and supported throughout the process.

Our Student Services Co-ordinator managing your case will check-in with you to discuss what ongoing welfare and academic support you want to receive, and we’ll try our best to provide it or help to facilitate it. You’re welcome to have a support person with you or ask us for any additional support you may need.

Prevention of Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault or Gender Based Violence Taskforce

Membership Information
Members: Title
Dr Scott Dickson CEO, Higher Education (Chair)
Assoc Prof Beulah Moses General Manager, Higher Education Quality
Ms Lena Shifrina General Manager – Higher Education Operations
Ms Julia Ford Human Resources Manager
Dr Michelle Cavaleri Dean, Academics
Ms Danica Pinto Registrar, Student Services
Michelle Gillick Student Services Coordinator (Melbourne)
Pia Pohankar Student Services Coordinator (Sydney)
Darsha Hollu Pathirage Student Services Officer (Brisbane)
Judas Finneran Student Services Officer (Brisbane)
Dr Jenny Katis Course Coordinator
Laura Marcela Barajas Barajas Student Representative
Saugat Rawal Student Representative
SASH Taskforce Committee Responsibilities

The Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Taskforce Committee undertakes the following responsibilities:

  1. Review SASH policy and procedures to include appropriate coverage of sexual assault, sexual harassment and gender-based violence redressal systems and the policy aligns to related policies such as Equity and diversity policy, email and social media guidelines, student grievance policy and procedures, student support and welfare policies, work health and safety policies and critical incidents policy
  2. To oversee benchmarking against other institutes of higher education providers for good practices
  3. To provide training to all the students and staff to prevent respond appropriately to any SASH and gender-based violence issues, and first responder’s training for key staff.
  4. Ensure the training materials are available widely and are regularly updated
  5. To review and collaborate with an external provider with expertise in sexual harassment , sexual assault and gender-based violence, and where appropriate make recommendations to the taskforce
  6. Ensure the SASH policy includes the online learning environment
  7. To respond to the sexual assault, sexual harassment and gender-based violence allegations and complaints ensuring the equitable and open implementation of the equity and diversity policy
  8. Ensure timely response to the complaints as in the related policies.

Our commitment to students

The College is committed to ensuring a safe learning and working environment that is free from sexual harassment and sexual assault and where all members of the College community are treated with dignity, courtesy, and respect.

The following principles form the foundation for our commitment:

The safety and well-being of students, staff, contractors, and visitors are of paramount importance to the College. The priority of the College will be the safety and well-being of the person disclosing or formally reporting sexual assault or sexual harassment.

The College’s response to a person who has experienced sexual harassment and or sexual assault is one of compassion, empathy, and support.

The College will treat any disclosure or formal reporting of Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault with the utmost confidentiality and with respect to the privacy of the student or staff member and the alleged perpetrator.

The Policy and Procedures related to SASH applies to all students, staff, contractors, and visitors, including those who identify as intergender, transgender and gender diverse, LGBTIQ, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, with a disability, culturally and linguistically diverse, and international. The College recognises that students from other countries may have cultural and language proficiency impediments to disclosing or reporting sexual harassment and sexual assault. This matter is addressed at all international student orientation sessions, information sessions, and contact staff training.

The College is committed to ensuring the equitable and open implementation of this Policy in accordance with College’s Equity and Diversity Policy.

Training Program

SASH Related Training Programs

Consent Matters is free online interactive course that uses activities, quizzes and relatable character scenarios to explore the nature of sexual consent, how to identify when consent needs to be given and/or received, when consent should not be given and how to look after others. Commencing students will gain access to the Consent Matters course in their first study period, information is sent to students via email. Consent Matters is delivered via Canvas and is available here.

The College collaborates with external sexual assault service providers for the first response. All the key staff including student support and course co-ordinators are provided with CASA House and Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence training program.