Chanel Contos and the NSW Police Have Launched a Sexual Assault Reporting Service

Trigger warning: this article discusses sexual assault, violence and death.

Consent activist and former Kambala School student Chanel Contos has been making waves in the midst of the current women’s rights movement happening around Australia.

Now, a month on from the release of her petition on sexual assault, Contos has teamed up with the NSW police to assist them in coordinating a better response to sexual assault complaints.

The new service, called Operation Vest, assures victims that they can make an informal complaint of sexual assault or rape to the police online, without starting a criminal investigation.

Its main goal is to provide closure to victims and support to potential victims in cases where a perpetrator is a repeat offender.

“Operation Vest reports will be used as a call for urgent educational, cultural, and structural reforms in our society,” Contos said in an Instagram post.

“It will also be used to emphasise the need for a Sexual Violence Policy to be implemented in the NSW police force, and for funding to go into this software for it to be optimised and rolled out Australia-wide.”

Back in February, Contos started a petition calling for consent in sex education classes to be introduced to students from a younger age.

The petition came after she posted a poll to her Instagram account, asking her followers this question: "If you live in Sydney: have you or has anyone close to you ever experienced sexual assault from someone who went to an all-boys school?"

In just a few hours, Contos received over 300 responses to the poll, with a staggering 72 per cent of replies answering "yes".

On 1 March, the petition had over 20,000 signatures and nearly 1,500 testimonies—some from girls as young as 13. 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by CHANEL ⋆ (@chanelc)

So, how does Operation Vest work?

The launch of Operation Vest provides a safe environment for individuals and victims to speak up and report their assault.

Operation Vest works by using the NSW police’s Sexual Assault Reporting Option (SARO), which is an alterative way of formally reporting assaults in the state.

The benefit of a SARO is that it can be completely anonymous and all you need to do is fill out a questionnaire online. You can even choose to include as much or as little information as you’d like.

Not only does this service provide victims with a place that they can confidently report their assault, but it also highlights the great need for structural reform in dealing with violence and sexual related crimes in our justice system, as well as our society.

According to Contos' Instagram post, the reason why not initiating a criminal investigation is beneficial to victims is so that their perpetrator does not know that that they have been reported. Unless a victim makes a formal complaint, there will be no repercussions for that person.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by CHANEL ⋆ (@chanelc)

When a report is made, the information is then used by the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad to gather information about perpetrators and ultimately prevent repeat offending.

While Operation Vest report does not initiate a criminal investigation, if a victim provides their contact details on their report, they may be contacted if there is information that can support their case. They may also be asked to support another victim if they choose to come forward about the same perpetrator.

“NO CONSEQUENCES will be had for historical perpetrators reported through SARO, UNLESS they do it again (or you choose to report formally in the future),” Contos wrote.

“This helps us look toward a better Australia, and will cause those who think they may have been perpetrators, to be conscious of their actions going forward.”

“Victims need to feel heard, and reporting in this way can bring closure to many and reduce the chances of repeat offenders socialising in our society.”

What if you want to make a formal complaint?

If you are a victim of sexual assault or violence and want to formally report your complaint to the police, the NSW police have encouraged victims to call 000 in the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault.

If your case is historical, you are instead asked to phone your local police station to make an appointment with a police officer to report your complaint. The QLD police define a historical case as a sexual assault that happened some time ago, this includes months or even years.

This kind of formal complaint will lead to a criminal investigation.

There has always been the option to do this, but the tool has been revamped alongside ‘Operation Vest’ 💜❤️💛🖤💙💚 The next thing we need to tackle for repeat offending is evidence law reform to make it easier to admit tendency and coincidence evidence for sexual assault matters

— Women's Safety NSW (@womenssafetynsw) March 24, 2021

Why is sexual assault and consent a big topic of conversation right now?

Right now, Australia is in the middle of a massive women’s rights movement, with people all over the country coming together to protest violence and sexual assault against women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of colour.

The Women’s March 4 Justice, and the discussion around consent and sexual assault has been brought on by a number of topical things happening globally.

This includes several sexual assault allegations made about government members and staff as well as sexual misconduct in the parliament house building.

Inside parliament #March4JusticeCanberra pic.twitter.com/p2IMvI074u

— Harley Dennett (@harleyd) March 15, 2021

These events are also topical due to International Women’s Day—which was just a few weeks ago—and the disappearance and alleged murder of British woman, Sarah Everad.

If you’re not sure what counts as consent and what doesn’t, you can learn a bit more about it here.

Are you experiencing suicidal thoughts, sexual assault or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Visit ReachOut to get support to help you with everything from everyday issues through to tough times.

Header Image: Instagram (@chanelc)