Page 4426 - Week 12 - Thursday, 24 October 2019
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Sexual health is of vital importance to people’s health and wellbeing and, accordingly, a significant issue for the ACT government and our health system. The ACT has a range of programs and services targeted at improving the sexual health of ACT residents. The Canberra Sexual Health Centre, for example, provides free testing for sexually transmissible infections and bloodborne viruses and HIV outpatient care. This centre is the region’s largest HIV outpatient service. The centre also provides outreach activities like education and testing in a range of locations and contexts.
Critical partners such as Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT, the AIDS Action Council and Hepatitis ACT also provide sexual health services across our community. Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT do great work in our community, providing reproductive and sexual health clinical care and counselling, including STI testing and treatment.
We know that we need to continue to work together to deliver a comprehensive range of services that ensure affected individuals receive the appropriate care, management and support. We must work to eliminate stigma and discrimination and encourage the conversation in the community about the importance of sexual health, and work to overcome the stigma that exists around this issue. Sexual health services must be available to everyone. That is why it is critical to ensure that services are appropriate for individuals in diverse relationships, from different cultural backgrounds and from communities where topics of sexual health are still taboo.
The ACT government has committed to initiatives like Sexual Health Week, which works to normalise discussions of sexual health. Removing the stigma around sexual health will make all Canberrans more likely to access the services they need without fear of judgment from others.
Sadly, part of sexual health awareness means acknowledging rapes and sexual assault and the health services the ACT provides in response. This has been a major issue on university campuses across the country and is one that Eleanor is passionate about.
There are 200 sexual assaults every week at Australian universities, an average of 30 a day. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2017 report “Change the Course: National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual harassment at Australian Universities” notes:
Of students who were sexually assaulted in a university setting, 87% did not make a formal report or complaint to anyone at the university and 79% did not seek support or assistance from their university following the most recent incident.
This means that many survivors are left without support.
Eleanor spoke to me about the fact that, within our own city, ANU is reported to have a rate of sexual assault that is double the national average. Eleanor reflected to me the views of students who have been vocal about their concerns about the university’s response to the issue of sexual assault.
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