Victims of violent sexual assault forced to wait up to 18 months for counselling

A shocking report has found that in some cases rape victims have to travel up to 10 hours to be medically examined, while others can’t get counselling.

Sexual assault victims in regional areas are forced to drive for up to 10 hours to be medically examined following an attack – and in some areas survivors must wait up to 18 months to see a counsellor.

The shocking lack of specialist help for victims of sexual violence has been revealed in a new report by Full Stop Australia, a charity fighting sexual and domestic violence, which is pushing for the next government to launch an immediate investigation.

Hayley Foster from Full Stop Australia. NSW. Picture: Supplied

Full Stop Australia chief executive, Hayley Foster, said reported sexual assaults had skyrocketed 110 per cent in the last 25 years, but funding had not increased at the same rate, if at all, and there was a “shocking gap” in services.

“It is absolutely shocking that in some areas victims are having to wait until the next day to be forensically examined,” Ms Foster said.

“That means they can’t go to the bathroom or have a shower if they want to get any sort of justice.”

A 24-year-old tutor from regional NSW, Ranjeeta V, was told she would have to wait 12 months to get counselling after she was sought help after being sexually assaulted.

“I was sobbing, it was hard to tell my story as I was so distressed,” Ms V said.

“Afterwards they said they were sorry but that the wait list for a therapist would be a year.

“They said the only thing I could do about it was complain. They had all the complaint forms ready for me.”

She eventually decided to get private treatment and in the last three years has spent more than $25,000.

When she was eventually offered free counselling, Ms V said she couldn’t go through the trauma of having to repeat her story again.

Women are having to wait up to 18 months for counselling after being sexually assaulted. Photo: istock

The report, which liaised with all the main sexual assault providers across the country, also found:

*One person is allegedly is behind multiple assaults on the Sunshine Coast;

*A lack of Forensic Medical Officers in Victoria means some victims have to wait until the next day to be examined;

*One in three people who call the NSW Sexual Violence Helpline can’t get through;

*Child victims in rural WA are having to wait up to five months to see a counsellor;

*Huge swathes of rural Australia are void of specialist sexual violence services;

*There is only one Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service in Queensland, with two counsellors;

Ms Foster said rape victims in Mount Isa were having to drive 10 hours to Townsville to be examined.

But it wasn’t just rural services that were lacking, it was also a problem in the cities.

She said in Melbourne there was only one Forensic Medical Officer working at night across the city and there were 12 examples of no-one being on duty after hours in the first four months of this year.

She said other blackspots included coastal towns, especially tourist spots which attracted predators.

The Sunshine Coast had seen a 119.6 per cent increase in reports of sexual violence over the last nine years.

The Sunshine Coast has seen a shocking increase in reported sexual assaults.

Ms Foster said services in the popular Queensland spot were reeling under the pressure of assisting multiple victims of one alleged perpetrator.

Queensland Sexual Assault Network (QSAN) Secretariat Angela Lynch, heads the 21 specialist sexual violence services across the state, said the situation was dire.

“The community expects rape victims to get quality help, but that’s questionable when we have such long wait lists,” Ms Lynch said.

“We get additional temporary funding, which is welcome, but it’s short term and doesn’t make up for the chronic underfunding of our core services.

“We’ve not had an increase in core funding for 26 years, but reported sexual violent assaults are up 20 per cent in the last year, and 40 per cent in the last nine years.

“We talk about this issue as national priority, but is it?”