BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE
Hunter teens are being targeted in a new program aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of sexting and sexual harassment.
NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman today visited Newcastle Court House to unveil an $8000 grant for the Victims of Crime Assistance League (VOCAL).
It comes after a 9.8% increase in reported indecent assault and other sexual offences in the Newcastle Police District over the past two years.
The 'Sexting and Sexual Harassment Intervention Program' (SASHI) will help secondary school students in years 7, 8 and 9 with a 50-minute interactive presentation, sparking debate about consent and appropriate versus inappropriate physical and verbal behaviours.
The students will be briefed on the penalties in place for the distribution of child pornography.
"We know [sexting] is a real problem for young people," Mr Speakman said, "we estimate around 1 in 5 young people have been the victims of intimate image abuse.
"Last year in NSW, we criminalised that behaviour with up to three years in prison for non-consensual distribution," he said.
School Captain of Swansea High School, Oliver Baird, helped bring the SASHI program to Newcastle and said he's seen the negative side of sexting among his peers.
"I have seen the impact that sexting can have, it's not pretty," Oliver said, "I think this program will really help in supporting victims and raising maturity [in those considering publishing revealing photos]...
"It's that one moment of their vulnerability and openness which gets shared - it's destructive," Oliver concluded.
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| Attorney General Mark Speakman meets Swansea High School Students, with Captain Oliver Baird, blonde hair. |
