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Canberra Today 18°/22° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

ANU improves support for sexual assault victims

THE Australian National University and its students are joining forces with the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre to improve access to on-campus counselling services for survivors of sexual assaults and harassment.

Under the new arrangements, counsellors from the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre will be based at ANU in a full-time equivalent position to help educate the community on respectful relationships and to help survivors of sexual assaults and harassment.

Vice-chancellor Prof Brian Schmidt says the new agreement would supplement existing counselling services at ANU.

“This an exciting new initiative and reaffirms the university’s strong commitment to do everything we can to stop all forms of sexual assault and harassment, and to support survivors,” Prof Schmidt says.

Under the agreement with the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, the counselling position will be jointly funded by the ANU and the ANU Students Association (ANUSA), with support from the Post-Graduate and Research Students Association (PARSA).

Canberra Rape Crisis Centre CEO Chrystina Stanford says the centre is pleased to work with ANU to help fight sexual assault and to support survivors.

“We need to remember that universities are environments for learning, and the issue of sexual violence on campus is a nationwide problem that ANU has been working on with CRCC for well over five years,” Ms Stanford says.

 

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