VICTORIA Police has launched a week-long social media campaign to bust common myths and misconceptions around sexual offences ahead of end-of-year celebrations.
Three videos dispelling sexual offences myths and misconceptions are being released daily as part of the Sexual Assault: Never Your Fault campaign.
Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Bentley from Melbourne’s Sex Offences and Child Investigation Team (SOCIT) said he hoped the campaign would encourage more people to come forward.
“We know sexual offences are widely misunderstood, which has a negative impact on the willingness of victims to come forward and seek help,” he said.
“By challenging the misconceptions, Victoria Police hopes to contribute towards a broader cultural change in relation to community perceptions of sexual offending.”
Each video uncovers a number of common misconceptions, derived from Victoria Police’s resource Challenging Misconceptions, including “people who are alcohol affected are responsible for their own sexual assault and they could have prevented the sexual assault by drinking less”.
“This is a dangerous perception. With end-of-year celebrations now in full swing and alcohol likely in the mix, we’re hoping to reiterate that this is simply not true,” Det Snr Sgt Bentley said.
“We know perpetrators are opportunistic and take advantage of vulnerable victims, including those who may be heavily intoxicated and incapacitated by their own actions.
“These are serious crimes and Victoria Police will investigate if people come forward.
“We are committed to holding all perpetrators accountable for their actions.
“Victoria Police has more than 450 dedicated SOCIT investigators across the state, who are trained to investigate the complex crimes of sexual offending and provide support to victims throughout the process.”
Every day, a poll on Victoria Police’s Facebook page will aske the community to respond with true or false to a number of myths and misconceptions.
A video will then be released later that day, featuring SOCIT experts and a friend of a sexual assault victim, in response to the polled questions.
Visit www.police.vic.gov.au for further resources.
