Mission Australia

Our Vision is to see a fairer Australia by enabling people in need to find pathways to a better life

New program to protect homeless young women from sexual assault, other harm

PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 15 May 2006 18:06

Young women who are living on the streets or in unsafe situations in Adelaide are being taught self-protection skills in a ground-breaking new program being run by Mission Australia.

They are being taught how to minimise their risk of sexual assault, of getting caught up in criminal behaviour or of harming themselves. A major step in the Equip program is also to help encourage them to report sexual assault to police or other authorities – a process that many currently find very difficult.

To that end, SAPOL sergeant Jo Marelos, co-ordinator of the Holden Hill Drug Action Team will be addressing the Equip participants on Tuesday, May 16 at the Reynella Youth and Enterprise Centre.

Media are invited to attend at 11.45 am. Mission Australia’s course co-ordinator Cathy Elverd will also be available for interviews and photographs with some of the participants (although please note, some young women will prefer not to be photographed/identified).

“Many of the young women we work with are very vulnerable to sexual and physical assault,” said Leonie Karlsson, who initiated the Equip program and manages Mission Australia’s Hindmarsh Centre, Adelaide’s only overnight youth sobering-up unit and outreach program for homeless young people.

“Being homeless puts them in often risky situations and locations, many have drug and alcohol issues which add to their vulnerability, and they often suffer low self-esteem.”

Compounding that is the fact that few who have been sexually assaulted actually report it, either for fear of further victimisation and/or because many don’t feel comfortable with police or other legal authority.

“As a result, they can end up blaming themselves or feeling acute anger and distress, and that can lead to self-harm, lashing out, and other destructive behaviour,” Leonie says. “We want to help them learn coping behaviours that enable them to move forward.”

The Equip program is funded by the National Community Crime Prevention Programme, an Australian Government initiative. It will also be conducted later this year at other centres across Adelaide, to reach young women who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or have become disengaged from their families, schools or communities.

Media interested in attending tomorrow’s photo opp are asked to please contact Chris Rann, Rann Communication, (08) 8211 7771, to make arrangements. Leonie Karlsson is also available for radio interviews.



 

News Updates

Award winning aged-care service for the homeless turns ten

Monday, 25 August 2008

On Tuesday 26th August, Mission Australia will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the opening of Charles Chambers Court (CCC), its Surry Hills based aged-care facility for the homeless, frail and aged. Special guest at the event will be Ita Buttrose, AO OBE.The occasion will be a double celebration for CCC, which the previous day received the...
+ Read Full Story

Making university education accessible to disadvantaged Australians

Tuesday, 05 August 2008

A group of disadvantaged Melburnians have graduated from a groundbreaking new university-style program developed by Mission Australia and Australian Catholic University (ACU National).The Catalyst-Clemente program is a joint initiative seeking to promote self-confidence in people at risk of homelessness, physical and mental illness and addiction,...
+ Read Full Story

More News Articles

Founding Purpose - 'Inspired by Jesus Christ, Mission Australia exists to meet human need and to spread the knowledge of the love of God'

© 2008 Mission Australia
Privacy Statement | Sitemap | ABN - 15 000 002 522