The following is part of our project “Increasing Access to Justice for Older Adult Victims of Sexual Assault: A Capacity Building Approach”, funded by the Justice Canada Victims Fund.Learn more about this project or consult the full list of resources
Report of the Australian Association of Gerontology
Workshops and Policy Recommendations
Workshop facilitated and led by Dr Catherine Barrett,
OPAL Institute held in Melbourne, Victoria, November 20, 2018
''There has been little focus on older women’s experience of sexual abuse despite research showing that:
- in 2016, 12,700 Australian women aged 55 years and over reported experiencing sexual violence in the last 12 months
- in 2017-18, there were 547 reports of unlawful sexual contact in residential aged care in Australia
This can partly be attributed to the misconception that sexual abuse of older women is rare. It is more accurate to say older women rarely report sexual abuse – because we do not listen or give them permission to speak about their sexual abuse.
This paper considers better ways to prevent and respond to the sexual abuse of older women at home and in residential aged care by:
- reviewing the policy and research context in Australia
- reporting on the outcomes of the AAG pre-conference workshop held in November 2018
- developing a list of policy recommendations to:
•assist governments to implement the National Plan to Respond to the Abuse of OlderAustralians and
• assist the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety''
Source: OPAL Institute
