A University of Newcastle student has founded the institution's first survivor-run advisory advocates group.
21 year-old Sarah Williams is a child sexual abuse and adult sexual assault survivor, third-year law and communications student, and an advocate for survivors across the region and country.
She previously founded What Were You Wearing, an education, awareness and advocacy organisation run by sexual violence survivors.
Ms Williams said the Survivors Advocates Advisory Board will provide a diverse insight into the lived experience of the survivor.
"I only want the group to go ahead if it has First Nations people on it, people living with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ identifying people, because as we know from statistics, those three groups are disproportionally affected by sexual violence, and particularly sexual violence on campus," Ms Williams said.
The group of 10 student survivors will meet once a month to discuss how to support victims and combat violence on campus.
They will be joined by a trauma-informed psychologist at meetings to provide support on potentially triggering issues, and are assured the group will be a safe and confidential space.
The establishment of the group comes after the latest National Student Safety Survey revealed almost one in five UON students had been sexually harassed since starting their studies.
It also aligns with the Federal Government's announcement today, it will launch the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children.
The 10-year plan is underpinned by six principles, one of which involves working with victim-survivors to develop policies and solutions.
Ms Williams said she's excited to see higher-ups working with survivors to find solutions, and she already has suggestions for the University to implement.
"Being able to have that voice is really powerful. You feel like you're able to assist in making change. It also makes you believe that the government actually does want to make change and they don't want to continue to see the statistics that we continue seeing, which is really great," she said.
"I'd love to see more consent education brought out in the University to regular students, rather than just student residents. Currently you do a consent module, but that's just once when you do your degree and it's nothing at all; it's very outdated in our opinion."
Applications to become one of the 10 survivor advocates are open to anyone who will be studying at the University in 2023 (including current Year 12 students) and will close on the 24th of October.
More information can be found on the What Were You Wearing website.
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| The University of Newcastle has established its first Survivors Advocates Advisory Board for sexual violence survivors. |
