About this research project
This research project, supported by the Australian Research Council, explores the evolution of sexual rights and harms in contemporary Australia. Here, you can read details about the project's background, as well as our research aims and methods.
Sexual harms have far-reaching impacts on governments, justice systems, and communities, costing Australia over $20 billion annually and causing trauma and violence across generations.
Recent global social movements like #MeToo demonstrate the the widespread concern about sexual violence, and Australian governments allocate substantial resources to understanding sexual harms in Australia.
Understanding and responding to sexual harms are deeply rooted in history, shaped by decades of advocacy for victims and changes in policy and law.
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Background: the evolution of sexual rights and harms in Australia
From the 1970s onward, feminist advocacy for rape victims-survivors initiated a trajectory of social, cultural, policy, and legal changes in Australia. Subsequent decades saw the widening of social and policy focus to encompass victim-survivors of child sexual abuse and male rape.
Simultaneously, activism by gay, lesbian, and trans communities aimed at decriminalising consensual sex and advocating for civil and equal rights further shaped the landscape. Additionally, sex workers campaigned for decriminalisation and destigmatisation of their profession amidst increasing state regulation efforts.
The simultaneous evolution of sexual rights alongside sexual harms poses important, yet unexplored questions regarding the interplay between narratives of rights and harms, and their implications for criminal-legal and policy responses to sexual harms.
Image: Sydney Mardi Gras 1978 - National Library of Australia
By examining crime policy through a historical criminology lens, we can identify how past legacies, approaches, and responses have been influenced by different times and places, enabling us to practically evaluate past and present responses in social, cultural, legal, and policy-making realms.
By understanding past successes and failures, we can shape more effective contemporary responses and reforms, challenging the origins of new ideas and assessing our progress relative to past efforts.
While historical research, contemporary criminology, and socio-legal studies offer innovative ways to understand sexual harms, few historical studies explicitly address public policy reform. Hence, our project adopts a social, cultural, and policy-focused approach to comprehending the evolution of sexual harm understandings in contemporary history.
Our project is victim-survivor focused, analysing 50 years of responses to sexual harms to evaluate historical changes and their influence on victims' perceptions of the justice system and response frameworks.
Our research team is interdisciplinary, drawing together experts on sexual violence and historical research from The University of Queensland, The University of New South Wales, Griffith University and The University of Melbourne.
We aim to:
1. Examine changing responses, debates and definitions of sexual harms over time.
2. Identify turning points in socio-historical responses to sexual harms.
3. Understand the impact of responses on diverse communities of victim-survivors over time.
4. Analyse where current responses to sexual harms do not meet community expectations.
5. Recommend innovative responses to sexual harms that can better meet those needs in future.
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Aims and methods: our victim-survivor centered research approach
Our method centres on the experiences of survivors, advocates/activists, and key stakeholders, tracing how these have evolved over time. By understanding these histories, we aim to establish a foundation for evaluating meaningful change and crafting victim-centred responses to harm.
To achieve these goals, we are looking to speak with participants in a range of ways:
Oral History Interviews: This approach captures participants' narratives and experiences over time, encouraging them to share memories, insights, and interpretations of past events or aspects of their lives.
Semi-Structured Interviews: These interviews feature more structured questions, particularly focusing on specific sexual violence reforms and related topics.
Focus-groups: This methods seeks to capture key sexual violence and community sector stakeholder groups perspectives on how key changes and reforms have shaped their work over time.
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