Information for volunteers of SOPV's

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Male This article is written for men and assumes a male offender, however SECASA acknowledges that both men and women can be survivors of sexual abuse and that offenders can be male and female.

General principles

Patrons have the right to practice safe and consensual sex.
Patrons and staff have the right to information about safe sex.
Patrons and staff have the right to information about sexual assault.
Patrons and staff have the right to be treated with respect.

What is a Centre Against Sexual Assault?

A Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) provides support, advice and counseling for victims of sexual assault, their friends, partners, parents and anyone else who has been touched by the issue of sexual assault and feels that they need support.

There are 15 CASAs in Victoria. In Metropolitan Melbourne there are 6 one of which deals predominantly with children and young people. The other 5 are:

The South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault - East Bentleigh
Northern Centre Against Sexual Assault - Heidelberg
Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault - Ringwood
CASA House - Carlton
Western Centre Against Sexual Assault - Footscray

The South Eastern Centre Againt Sexual Assault has offices in East Bentleigh, Clayton, St Kilda, Frankston, Dandenong, Berwick and Cranbourne.

What services are provided by a CASA?

There are a number of core services provided by the Metropolitan based CASAs:

24 hour access for information and support;
an opportunity to look at your options following a sexual assault;
medicals following a sexual assault either to ensure there is no injury, to provide medical treatment or to collect forensic evidence;
assistance with reporting a sexual assault to the Victorian Police;
crisis, medium and long-term counselling;
assistance with compensation applications.

What is a sexual assault?

There are two ways to define a sexual assault.

The first is about how people feel. "Sexual assault is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature directed towards a person:

which makes that person feel uncomfortable, distressed, frightened or threatened, or which results in harm or injury to that person;
or which that person has not freely agreed to or given consent to, or to which that person is not capable of giving consent;
in which another person uses physical, emotional, psychological or verbal force or (other) coercive behaviour against that person."

A narrower definition of sexual assault is that used for legislative purposes.

"Sexual assault is a physical assault of a sexual nature directed towards another person without their consent. The assault may range from unwanted touching to sexual penetration without consent."

In some circumstances, such as in a SOPV the less intrusive unwanted sexual behaviour may well be difficult to judge. If you feel uncomfortable it may be because you have been the subject of unwanted touching or attention or the opposite which is that you have not been the subject of wanted touching or attention.

In most areas "No Means No". If you are in a bondage scene your safe word means "No". But no matter what behaviour is around you are entitled not to continue. You are entitled to not continue when in a cubicle, to zip up and leave when using a glory hole and to call a stop at any point in any sexual activity if it becomes unwelcome for you whatever the verbal expression of that wish to cease the activity might be.

What is consent?

The material below relates to a legal definition of consent. We all think we know when someone is in agreement to engage in a sexual act but the legal definition, which can get people into unintentional trouble, is different.

"Consent" means free agreement. No or maybe equals "No".

Circumstances in which a person does not freely agree to an act include the following:

the person submits because of force or the fear of force to that person or someone else;
the person submits because of the fear of harm of any type to that person or someone else;
the person submits because he or she is unlawfully detained;
the person is asleep, unconscious, or so affected by alcohol or another drug as to be incapable of freely agreeing;
the person is incapable of understanding the sexual nature of the act;
the person is mistaken about the sexual nature of the act or the identity of the person;
the person mistakenly believes that the act is for medical or hygienic purposes.

If a customer, or their proposed sexual partner, are drug or alcohol affected or intellectually or physically disabled one of them may be unable to freely agree.

If a customer reports a sexual assault?

What can they expect?

To be believed. It is not for anyone to judge whether someone is telling the truth or to judge their behaviour.
To be given information package on their options.
To have their options explained to them.

The customer can telephone the Police which will give them an opportunity to decide if they wish to report.
The customer can ring the Police and ask to speak to a Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer (GLLO).
The customer can telephone SECASA which is a 24 hour service. This will give them an opportunity to talk to a Sexual Assault Counsellor and explore their options over the telephone (9594 2289 24 hours) or face-to-face.
You, as a volunteer , could telephone SECASA and discuss the situation to assist you in helping the customer.
The customer can access Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV at SECASA, which is located at Monash Medical Centre, Clayton.
The customer can leave with the information package and decide what to do at another time.

Why a man might want to talk about a sexual assault?

One in six men are survivors of childhood sexual assault. Often these experiences have been pushed to the back of their minds along with the feelings of powerlessness and vulnerability that might have accompanied the abuse.

For many people a traumatic sexual incident can cause them to feel as they did when they were a child or adolescent. This does not mean that they necessarily will want or need counseling but they may want to talk about a more recent incident straight after it has occurred.

All you have to do is listen to them and accept what they are telling you in a non-judgemental manner unless they wish to report the assault to the Police. If they wish to report you should follow the steps listed above.

If listening to someone talking about an assault is distressing be sure to find someone to talk to you about your feelings. Do not take your upset home and have a bad night's sleep.

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