NT government acknowledges there’s ‘more work to do’ to support survivors of sexual abuse

The Territory government has acknowledged ‘there is a lot more work to do’ to support victims of sexual abuse after a Supreme Court judge called on parliament to address the ‘banishment’ of survivors from their communities.

Attorney-General Selena Uibo says there is ‘more work to do’ to support survivors of sexual abuse.

• Child survivors of horrific sexual abuse ‘banished’ from communities, judge

THE Territory government has acknowledged “there is a lot more work to do” to support victims of sexual abuse after a Supreme Court judge called on parliament to address the “banishment” of survivors from their communities.

In sentencing a man for keeping a young teenage girl as a sex slave in a remote community, Justice Jenny Blokland said the victim had been further punished as she felt she could not return home, a fact she said “community leaders need to seriously reflect on”.

“(It) is a well-functioning community, respected by the broader community, yet, to make the overall consequences of the offending on the victim’s situation worse, she has had to leave (there) because of the offending,” she said.

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“I urge the corrections policy or legislative minds to turn their attention to this – we may be witnessing the emergence of a trend which sees victims of sexual assault being incidentally punished in their home communities through a form of banishment.”

In response, Aboriginal Affairs Minister and Attorney-General Selena Uibo said there was “more work to do” but did not specify what, if anything, the government actually had planned.

“Victims of violence deserve to be protected, supported and assisted to heal and move forward in their lives,” she said.

“Everyone should feel safe in their home and in their communities.

“Sexual violence is not tolerated and this devastating case highlights that there is a lot more work to do to prevent sexual abuse and to assist victims.”

Simeon Riley, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape for the horrific abuse of the girl and Justice Blokland described the circumstances of his offending and its aftermath as “chilling”.

He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and he will be eligible for parole in 2029.

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Originally published as NT government acknowledges there’s ‘more work to do’ to support survivors of sexual abuse