Happy, Healthy Women, Not Just Survivors is a joint advocacy initiative between the Australian Women's Coalition (AWC), the Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) and the Victorian Medical Women's Society (VMWS).
Sexual violence is a common experience for women in Australia, with 1 in 3 reporting sexual violence over their lifetimes and 1 in 10 reporting penetrative or attempted penetrative sexual abuse. Significant health consequences result over a lifetime, and with domestic violence, sexual violence is responsible for the greatest burden of disease for women aged 18-45 years. In spite of this, women who experience sexual violence are reluctant to access healthcare services. There is a critical dissonance between survivors' needs and service provision.
A consultation report that advocates a long-term model of care for survivors of sexual violence was launched in Victoria on 14 September 2010.
The Consultation Report: (1) advocates for a long-term model of care for survivors of sexual violence. (2) acknowledges the Australian Government's strong commitment to the prevention of violence against women and seeks to build on this commitment by addressing a gap in the national agenda relating to the long-term healthcare needs of the 1 in 3 Australian women who are survivors of sexual violence. (3) advocates for the establishment of a multidisciplinary foundation or Centre of Excellence (including referral pathways to strengthen access to care) in order to drive the 25 recommendations in the report forward. (4) is under-pinned by an extensive consultation process and a review of the academic literature and tertiary teaching curricula. (5) includes messages of support from Professor Afua Hesse (President Elect, Medical Women’s International Association); Libby Lloyd AM (Chair VAWAG); and Dr Michael Steiner (President AMA NSW).
