The Women’s provides a 24 hour, seven day a week service to survivors of past and recent sexual assault through the Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA House) during business hours and after hours via the Sexual Assault Crisis Line (SACL).
CASA House and the Sexual Assault Crisis Line
The Women’s sexual assault response is provided by CASA (Centre Against Sexual Assault) House during business hours (9am to 5pm) and by the Sexual Assault Crisis Line after hours from 5pm to 9am weeknights and 24/7 throughout weekends and public holidays.
CASA House is committed to ensuring that victim/survivors are provided with necessary support and care. CASA House provides free and confidential counselling and advocacy to adult victim/survivors who live in the Melbourne CBD or the north-west region, or who are patients of the Women's. CASA House also provides:
- individual counselling support and advocacy to victim/survivors of either childhood or adult sexual assault
- support groups
- telephone counselling and support
- information and referral
- professional consultation, education and training to community health professionals.
The Victorian Sexual Assault Crisis Line (SACL) is the state-wide, confidential telephone crisis counselling, information and referral service for people who have experienced past and/or recent sexual assault. The service also provides support and information to non-offending family and friends and secondary consultation to professionals.
SACL coordinates crisis care responses for people who have experienced recent sexual assault in Victoria within the last two weeks which may include accessing immediate face to face support with a CASA Counsellor/Advocate in their local area.
Callers to the Sexual Assault Crisis Line (SACL) may remain anonymous if they wish. SACL will not share any information without the caller’s verbal consent unless there is a serious risk of harm to the caller/a child in their care or another person.
What we do
Crisis care is available for people who have been experienced recent sexual assault within the last two weeks, and may include:
- Linkage to an on-call Counsellor/Advocate in your area for immediate support
- Assistance with exploring your legal and medical options (including access to a forensic medical examination)
Information for consumers
About sexual assault
Sexual assault includes a range of behaviours from unwanted touching and sexual harassment to rape. You can read more about sexual assault in our health information section.
Sexual assault is:
- any sexual behaviour that makes a person feel uncomfortable, frightened or threatened
- sexual activity that a person does not agree to do
- the use of emotional or physical violence to force another person to engage in sexual activity
- NEVER the victim/survivor’s fault
It is vital to understand that victim/survivors:
- never provoke sexual assault
- are never to blame for the assault
- are never responsible for the actions of the perpetrator.