Young Tasmanians do not know where to seek advice for domestic violence issues and grapple with the concept of consent.
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These are some of the findings of a recent report published by the Tasmanian Youth Forum, which showed more than 55 per cent of the young people surveyed did not know where they could access support.
Youth Network of Tasmania board member Ann Davie said she was concerned campaign messages had not been conveyed.
“Young people recognised the need to seek help to support themselves, but didn’t know where to look,” Ms Davie said.
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The report found very few people said they would access a domestic-violence specific service.
Davie said the need for specific interventions and support services for young people experiencing domestic violence was evident.
“The report gave us a real opportunity to see what young people are concerned about.”
However, it did highlight the need for more discussion on key issues of respectful relationships.
Sexual Assault Support Service chief executive Jill Maxwell said her organisation provided sex and ethics programs, delving into consent and respectful relationships, in four Tasmanian schools each year.
“Young people are crying out for more education,” Ms Maxwell said.
The state-funded programs, which cost about $25,000 to run at each school, helped 1034 students, and countless teachers and parents.
Before the program, Maxwell said students aged between 12 and 13 were surveyed to find out how much they knew about respectful relationships.
More than half the students said they did not know what consensual sex was, she said.
For students aged 14 to 15, the figure was closer to 38 per cent.
The lack of knowledge was a concern, although the figures changed dramatically after the program.
About 81 per cent of students said they learnt lots about consent.
Close to 70 per cent of girls said the program had been “really helpful”.
While she appreciated the current funding, there needed to be a boost so more students could be educated about sex and ethics, Ms Maxwell said.
A government spokeswoman said one way domestic violence could be tackled was through education in state schools.
“The Hodgman Liberal Government acknowledges the impact of domestic violence which is why we have made a $26 million commitment to address it through the Safe Homes, Safe Families: Tasmania’s Family Violence Action Plan 2015-2020," she said.
“We know student health and issues such as domestic violence can impact a students ability to learn, which is why we are investing $5 million for student re-engagement programs, developing a new $1.6 million Child and Student Wellbeing strategy, investing in more School Health Nurses in District schools, and investing $250 000 in grant funding for Stay ChatTY for suicide prevention and mental health awareness.”
An additional 14.8 full-time-equivalent professional support staff roles, including psychologists and social workers, is being funded across state schools “to help young children get the support they need”.
If you need help for sexual assault or domestic violence, you can call the national help line 1800 Respect (1800 737 732).
Tess Brunton
I recently returned from across the ditch where I worked at New Zealand Fairfax paper The Timaru Herald and developed a love of mountains. Originally I'm a mainlander from an area known for cheese, the Bega Valley, who also dabbled in radio at ABC RCAFF before finding a place in newspapers. I can often be found hiking, caving or climbing when I'm not cursing at my work computer or technology in general.
I recently returned from across the ditch where I worked at New Zealand Fairfax paper The Timaru Herald and developed a love of mountains. Originally I'm a mainlander from an area known for cheese, the Bega Valley, who also dabbled in radio at ABC RCAFF before finding a place in newspapers. I can often be found hiking, caving or climbing when I'm not cursing at my work computer or technology in general.
