Sexual Violence Services
About
This is a free service for anyone who has been, or is currently, affected by sexual violence including rape, sexual assault, harassment, stalking and online image-based abuse. We support those experiencing any sexual harm that causes the victim/survivor harm on any level.
Supports and interventions can be a varied depending on your individual needs, all supports are confidential, personal and free.
This service is proud to offer the services of a multidisciplinary team full of warm, experienced and local professionals and support staff.
Everybody and anybody are welcome to access these services at any time. This includes males, people of minority communities, all religions, cultures, beliefs, people of LGBTTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities and migrants and tourists.
What we offer
What we offer for current or historic experiences of sexual violence:
- 24/7 crisis support.
- Safety planning.
- Advocacy.
- Safety Programmes.
- Social worker support.
- Counselling.
- Referrals to other services.
- Lawyer, Court and Police supports.
- Information and advice.
- Safe Accommodation.
- Support with employers, schools, GP’s and other agencies.
- Community Support Workers.
All these services are free, confidential and client centered. These services are for anyone but if the client is under 18, the Child & Youth Team will also support.
24/7 Crisis Response
Our Crisis Response line is manned 24/7. If you are in immediate danger to call 111.
We also can provide safe accommodation in a hotel or in our respite house. If the sexual violence is acute (has happened in the last seven days), our crisis response can support you through a medical examination process. This process can also be done later on to ensure physical and mental health.
If these services are needed by you or someone you know, please don’t hesitate to call us on 0508 440 255
Police, ACC, Courts & Medical Support
This can be a scary time with lots going on, so we can help you make sense of it all and advocate for your wants and needs. Nothing is done without your full and informed consent.
Our team can support you to access ACC services, medical care and mental health support. We also can be a support person through any Police or Court matters, interviews, follow-ups or proceedings. We will be with you the entire process if needed.
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Going to the Police
You do not have to have spoken to Police or speak to Police to access our services. No one will speak to Police without your full and informed consent.
If you would like to speak to the Police about a recent or historic experience of sexual violence, we can support you through those processes.
More information about Police processes and your rights can be found here.
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Accessing ACC
Anyone who has suffered sexual violence in New Zealand can get free help from ACC.
You do not need to have reported it to the Police in order to get help from ACC, and you do not need to have suffered a physical injury.
You can get free help from ACC even if you are not from New Zealand but have suffered sexual abuse or assault while visiting here.
There is no time limit for seeking help from ACC following the incident, even if it happened years ago.
More information about ACC processes and your rights can be found here.
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Support through the Court
Those who end up having Court proceedings can be supported by our staff.
Our team helps those who have sexual violence cases taken to court through the entire process. We can also help those who have not previously accessed our services but are at any stage of a court proceeding.
The support you require, want or need is entirely up to you. Nothing is done without your full and informed consent.
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Medical Examination & Support
If you have experienced any type of sexual violence (sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual harm, or rape), a specialist sexual assault medical service can make sure you are okay and help deal with any concerns you may have about your health. This can include a medical forensic exam, a general check-up, a Sexual Health screen and pregnancy test (if applicable).
These services can be intense, but the practitioners are kind, knowledgeable and only want what’s best for your physical and mental health. You do not need to be engaged with Police to access these services.
We can attend with you, either in the room or wait outside. Another support person can also attend, parent, friend or loved one.
If the assault happened within seven days:
- You can choose to have an examination that can include the collection of samples for evidence (forensic examination) and make a statement to the police. Ideally this is done as soon as possible after the assault as evidence is lost over time.
- If you don’t know whether you want the police involved and want to leave your options open, that’s okay. The clinician can do a forensic examination, but instead of giving this evidence to the police, it can be safely stored for you until you have had time to decide what you want to do. The team will let you know how long it can be stored for.
More information about these processes can be found here.
Historic & Support for Supporters
Non recent or historical sexual abuse is when an adult was sexually abused as a child or young adult or when the incident happened some time ago.
Sometimes people who have experienced sexual abuse in their past blame themselves or were made to feel it was their fault. It is never the survivor’s fault, and they are not responsible for the actions of others. The perpetrator is responsible for their actions.
We can support those who are experiencing challenges related to any historic experiences of sexual violence.
We can also offer support to those who are supporting loved ones through a recent or historic experience of sexual violence. It is important that you, as a supporter, are looked after too. Being a support person is a role of great importance, we believe you are critical to someone’s outcomes so please reach out if we can assist you in anyway.
Education & Prevention
Experiencing and/or being exposed to sexual violence or intimate partner violence (IPV), is sadly very common in Aotearoa New Zealand. That is why we are working to empower positive change not only through action, but through awareness and understanding too.
Everybody has a role to play in preventing all forms of violence, abuse and harm. So, we are proud to offer a range of community workshops, trainings, education packages and hui to prevent harm, especially the harms associated with family and/or sexual violence.
Cover a range of topics, flexible in length and location and rooted in local knowledge and experiences. We offer these free publicly regularly, check out our Community page for more.
We also offer bespoke packages for schools, offices, professionals and community groups. These are a great opportunity for professional or personal development while also supporting a local organisation to support more people.
We also attend local and national prevention network meetings, work alongside schools, community groups and Police and the Government in prevention projects. Our development and community work teams are passionate about creating a region that has happy, healthy and safe people – join us on that mission by booking in for a training or hosting a hui.