Online reporting for sexual assault survivors might soon exist in Victoria

“This commitment by the Victorian Government aims to both improve the reporting process in the hope that it leads to more convictions, and importantly improves access to support for survivors.”

Content warning: Sexual assault

Today, a motion was passed in the Victorian Senate that will see our government take its first steps towards an alternative form of online sexual assault reporting, including online reporting for survivors.

From here, the government will begin the consultation process, with the results from this process tabled by September this year. As many survivors and their loved ones will know, Victoria’s current reporting system is considered inadequate for most survivors. Naturally, this inadequacy is believed to be a key factor in the under-reporting of sexual assault to police.

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The most recent statistics suggest only 13 per cent of sexual assaults are ever reported, according to Professor Georgina Heydon, who specialises in Criminology and Justice Studies at RMIT University. She’s part of the research team that’s leading the Alternative Reporting Options Research Project, a report being funded by the Australian Institute of Criminology.

“Research has long identified the persistent under-reporting of sexual assault to police and the criminal justice system,” she explains.”This figure [of 13 per cent] is likely much lower for certain communities who face significant barriers to reporting their experiences, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTQIA+ people, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.”

Some of the reasons for underreporting include a distrust of the police, and a lack of confidence that police will handle survivors’ cases with sensitivity, notes Professor Hayden. “Victim-survivors are also reluctant to go through a sexual assault trial due to the way that they are treated during the process,” she adds.
Anyone who has read Bri Lee’s book, Eggshell Skull, will have had a glimpse into just how difficult this process can be.

Aside from Victoria’s current reporting system failing victim-survivors, Professor Heydon also emphasises that victim-blaming attitudes and rape myths are still prevalent in society, something that contributes to people believing that their sexual assault experience wasn’t ‘serious enough’ to report.

“Due to these issues, which lead to vast under-reporting, only a tiny fraction of sexual assault offenders are ever prosecuted and convicted,” she says.
“This commitment by the Victorian Government aims to both improve the reporting process in the hope that it leads to more convictions, and importantly improves access to support for survivors, about half of whom never seek support either.”

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault you can call national sexual assault counselling service 1800RESPECT, or head to its website for support and advice.