What to do

What can you do if you have seen or experienced disrespectful behaviour, including sexual harassment or sexual assault?

In the first instance, it is important to protect your own safety. If you do not feel safe, contact Campus Security (scroll down for numbers), the Village Duty Manager or the Police on 000 in Australia

Second, we encourage you speak to the Village Team.

If you have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment or sexual assault, we encourage you to speak to a member of our Village Team as soon as possible, so we can support you through it and investigate any form of disrespectful behaviour in the Village.

Support available to you at the Village

Any form of disrespectful behaviour, and particularly sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape, is difficult to go through. There's no wrong way to react to sexual violence. Sexual violence is never the fault of the victim/survivor, and you can always seek help. Some normal reactions can be: difficulty focusing and making decisions, disrupted sleeping, as well as anxiety and feeling isolated. 

 Support options available to you may include:

• Medical attention
• Counselling and psychology services
• Academic support including special consideration if your studies are impacted
• Legal support and advice
• Temporary alternative accommodation if required
• Reporting an incident to the University or Police

At all times, you are in control of what support you want or need. Our Village Teams are experienced and trained to assist you with finding the right support, both at the Village and from University, community and law enforcement services. You are welcome to speak to the Village Team with a friend, family member or other support person if you prefer.

It is important for both your immediate safety and support, and the overall safety of the Village to let us know if you have seen, heard about or experienced any offensive or disrespectful behaviour, especially sexual harassment or sexual assault.

What will happen when you speak to the Village Team?

The first priority is your safety and wellbeing. The Village team will assist you with the immediate support you want or need to feel safe. The Village team can help you by contacting friends/family, medical or emergency services, your employer or the University and can even arrange alternative temporary accommodation if you require it. At all times it is your right to determine what support you want or need, including none at all.

The Village Team will help walk you through all your options. Your privacy will be respected, and the Village Team will act sensitively to help you. Support from our Village Team is not a one-off, we will continue to check in and support you on an ongoing basis throughout your stay with us.

Be aware also that if the Village Team has ongoing concerns for your wellbeing and safety at any time, they may call your emergency contact. Also, as our Villages are managed in partnership with the University (and are often on the University campus), incidents occurring in the Village may be required to be reported to the University. Where this is the case it will be clearly outlined to you, and both the University and Village Teams will act sensitively.

You should also be aware that all incidents of sexual harassment or sexual assault at CLV must be reported through the Incident Management Framework. This is a confidential process and your privacy will be respected. This is an important process that allows CLV to monitor incidents and take action to ensure we are providing a safe and respectful environment for all staff and residents.

When you speak to our Village Team, we will explain the options available so you can choose what is right for you. The Village Team will help you navigate your individual circumstances. 

Remember, you can speak to the Village Team at any time, speak to the team more than once, and you can also report or disclose something that happened in the past.

Why speak to the Village Team?

Reporting helps to make the Village a safer place for everyone, and will enable us to help you get the support you need – from medical support to counselling or academic support. Reporting will ensure the Village and CLV Management team, the University or the Police can fully investigate the incident and if an incident involves another CLV resident or a Village Team member, it allows CLV to take appropriate action.

Speaking to an RA

Resident Assistants are here to help ensure you have a positive experience at CLV and organise social events, however our Team members (in particular the Village Manager or a Duty Manager) are best placed to support you in the event you experience sexual harassment or assault, and we advise you to come directly to the Village Team. If you do speak to a Resident Assistant about an incident, CLV policy is that their role is to refer you to a Village Team member to support you. Resident Assistants are also required to report any incidents they become aware of at the Village through the Incident Management Framework.

If you aren’t sure if you are ready to speak to the Village Team, you can in the first instance speak to a confidential counselling service such as 1800RESPECT - the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service:

Call: 1800RESPECT 24/7

Chat online: https://www.1800respect.org.au/

Find additional local services: https://www.1800respect.org.au/services

What are possible outcomes of reporting an incident to the Village, University or Police?

The outcome of reporting an incident to the Village, University or Police is completely dependent on the nature and circumstances of the incident, whether the person said to be responsible for the incident is identified, whether they are a Village/University student or staff member, and what action or support you are seeking.

Some possible outcomes might be:

• Further investigation by the Village, University and/or police
• Police to investigate and for natural justice to take its course
• The University taking disciplinary action
• The Village taking disciplinary action which at its most serious could be exclusion of a student from the Village or termination of employment of a staff member
• Enhancing safety and security procedures
• Providing additional training to students or staff members
• Providing support to the student as outlined above

If the police are investigating, the Village and/or University may not proceed with an investigation until the outcome of the Police investigation is known. This does not prevent the Village or University from supporting you while the investigation is happening.

It is important to understand that if a Village, University or Police investigation is occurring, the person said to be responsible for the incident would usually be informed of the investigation. You will be advised at all times of the process that CLV will follow, however, the Police and University will follow their own processes and communications.