Legal action I can take

Home: Survivors: Family Violence: Violence against women

Family violence, sexual assault and stalking are all serious offences. If you are experiencing any of these forms of violence there are legal remedies available to you.

Ring the Police if you have been threatened, physically or sexually assaulted, or stalked. You may make a report to the police so that the offender can be charged with a criminal offence.

If you are considering reporting a sexual assault to the police, you may contact a CASA for assistance with this process. You may report a sexual assault to the police whether it occurred when you were a child or if it occurred recently. A sexual assault can occur within a marriage or a de facto relationship.

Some victims prefer to speak with a policewoman when reporting sexual assault. If you ask for one and there is no policewoman at the station, you can ask for one to be brought in from another station.

The police have a code of practice for dealing with sexual assaults. This requires police to:

• take the victim to a CASA within two hours of reporting the assault, if she wishes to be taken;
• allow the victim to rest and receive medical attention or support if needed;
• provide the victim with written information regarding her rights and the support services available;
• keep the victim informed of the progress of the investigation if an investigation is taking place;
• if requested, provide written reasons to the victim for any decision not to proceed with legal action against the accused.

Sponsor

Council Against Violence

Disclaimer Copyright Updated: 2 Oct 2009