A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Four out of five teenage girls who have been sexually assaulted are suffering from crippling mental health problems months after their attack, new research has found. Victims were found to have anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious conditions four to five months after being assaulted. Experts said the findings confirmed that becoming a [...]
Growing up, I was a gymnast. The serious, train-six-times-a-week-and-never-do-anything-else kind. By the time I was 10, I had represented NSW at national championships, and won. By the time I was 12, I had represented Australia. By 15, I was preparing for my second World Championships. I had been training relentlessly, day in, day out. I [...]
The #MeToo movement has supported victim-survivors to speak out about a wide range of acts that constitute sexual violence. Reports have included those of rape, sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, sexual coercion, sexual harassment, and behaviours that might not fit neatly into any of these categories. These are all acts of sexual violence, but it’s [...]
It appears we must now add Morgan Freeman to the ever-growing list of respected men accused of unrespectable behavior. Ever since the #MeToo movement launched, it seems that every week another famous name is added to the list of powerful men accused of engaging in sexual assault or harassment. One word that has popped up [...]
An honest chat with children about healthy, consensual sex could not come any sooner. Time and again, society fails to educate young people — particularly young women — about sexual health. What’s more, in the United States, abstinence-only sex education is the rule, not the exception — and studies show it actually hurts kids as they grow into adolescence. [...]
As many as 32 per cent of women at University of Sydney colleges have experienced sexual harassment and 6 per cent of female college students have experienced actual or attempted sexual assault, with other college students making up the vast majority of perpetrators, a review of college culture has found. The review, led by former [...]
Flickr Images When people want to believe that the world is just, and that bad things won’t happen to them, empathy can suffer. Victim-blaming comes in many forms, and is oftentimes subtle and unconscious. It can apply to cases of rape and sexual assault, but also to more mundane crimes. Any time someone [...]
Pixabay Images When Meg was 12, her mother, Annie, found herself unable to look at her. Seeing her daughter made Annie feel unsettled, at times almost angry. At first, she couldn’t figure out why. “And then, Meg turned 13 and suddenly, everything slid into place for me,” Annie says. “I found myself thinking, [...]
Jess Phillips says the ringleaders should face either civil or criminal action. Photo: Facebook: Jess Phillips A British politician has revealed she received more than 600 rape threats in one night after launching a campaign against sexist online bullying. Jess Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, declared that Twitter was "dead", after [...]
There are a number of ways you can help to end sexual violence. From being aware of the risks to trusting your instincts and stepping in when a friend needs your help, you may be able to help prevent a sexual assault from occurring. So what can we do today? Everyone -- friends, family, bystanders [...]
