The principal of an all girls private school has written to former students to offer them support, after a number of them made "disturbing" allegations of rape and sexual assault about Hutchins School alumni.
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On Tuesday, it emerged that Tasmanians posted a small number of allegations on a website created by London-based woman, Chanel Contos (originally from Sydney).
The majority of these were levelled against Hutchins alumni and were made by former students of St Michael's Collegiate School, which is Hutchins' sister school.
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They were among thousands of similar testimonials from across Australia - personal accounts from women and girls of rape and sexual assault.
Ms Contos created the platform to allow people to share their stories and sign a petition calling for consent to be taught from an earlier age.
Collegiate principal Adam Forsyth wrote to alumnae on Tuesday, the day The Examiner published a story detailing the allegations.
"Today we have seen disturbing media coverage with allegations of rape and sexual assault being levelled against former students of a Tasmanian school by Collegiate alumnae," Mr Forsyth wrote.
Encouraging former students to seek assistance from support services if they required it, Mr Forsyth noted that Collegiate had engaged the Sexual Assault Support Service to deliver its Consent is a Conversation program in Years 6, 8, 10 and 12, which he said "connects and engages the girls in a topic that can be awkward or frightening".
"Respect for women, the correct conduct in healthy, intimate relationships, sexual abuse and the notion of consent, from Canberra to schools, are at the forefront of our national media," he wrote.
"Many of you may have seen recent media stories about a petition from extraordinarily brave and courageous women highlighting the sexual assault of teenage girls in Sydney by boys from single sex schools. ...
"It is shocking and upsetting to read but importantly, it directs us as a community and as a society, to stop, stand up and pay attention. It is very clear we all need to do more."
Hutchins headmaster Rob McEwan has addressed the allegations in an email to parents, saying the school had, too, been engaging SASS to provide consent education, but that "we need to be more overt and crystal clear about what is acceptable and what is not and reinforce it more regularly".
If this story has raised any concerns for you, you can contact the following support services:
- 1800 Respect
- Laurel House: 1800 697 87
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
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Rob Inglis
Rob Inglis is a reporter with The Examiner, covering state and federal politics. He is based in Hobart.
Rob Inglis is a reporter with The Examiner, covering state and federal politics. He is based in Hobart.
