Making a Report

To the police

Sexual assault is a crime and you have the right to report it to police. If you are in immediate danger call 000. You can also report sexual assault to your local police station.

You may not be comfortable with reporting to your local police station. Within Victoria there are specialist police called Sexual Offenses and Child Abuse Investigation Teams (SOCITs). Police within these teams are trained to support to survivors of sexual assault. You can directly call these teams to report sexual assault, for example, the number for the Melbourne area SOCIT is (03) 8690 4056. 

If you don't feel comfortable directly contacting the police the Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) is a confidential and free counselling service that can provide support to you in making a report to the police.

 

To the University

You can make a formal report to the University through the Safer Community Program.

If you’re thinking of making a report to the University, we recommend you contact UMSU Sexual Harm Response Coordinators to assist you and provide independent advice. 

The Speak Safely Portal can be used to find support and/or report sexual assault and/or harassment at the university about students or staff. 

If you choose to make a complaint, the Safer Community Program or Workplace Investigation team will be in touch to talk about next steps, initially through an online chat. 

The portal allows students to remain anonymous when contacting university services, and then gives you the opton of using the anonymous chat function to discuss their report with the relevant university service. The anonymous chat function is encrypted, so it protects your privacy and confidentiality. This portal is not only open to survivors but also bystanders to sexual misconduct.

You can also use a 'diary note' function, incase you would like to record details for yourself but are not ready to make a complaint. 

All information shared is completely confidential, except where the University has a specific legal obligation or duty of care to protect individuals safety. 

 

UMSU Sexual Harm Response Coordinators

The UMSU Sexual Harm Response Coordinators work with the UMSU Advocacy and Legal Services and can provide support with making complaints to the University, reporting to the police, and appropriate referrals to therapeutic services. Contact them via this form.