Disclosures of sexual assault
The staff at Te Whare Tāwharau understand the difficulties faced by University staff members when a student discloses they have been sexually assaulted, or when they suspect that a student has been impacted by sexual violence. Sexual violence affects one in three women and one in six men.
Sexual assault is a traumatic event for any individual. The impact on students includes a lack of ability to sleep, eat, focus in lectures, complete assignments or concentrate in exams. Sexual assault can also have serious long term negative effects which may result in a student failing to successfully complete their educational goals.
Lecturers and staff are often the first to notice when a student may be struggling, however they may feel they are unable to help. At Te Whare Tāwharau, we can help you to support students and help them access the necessary resources and support services to begin the healing process.
Workshops
Our Centre offers workshops on sexual violence for all groups in the University community. We are currently offering:
Handling Disclosures of Sexual Assault for Staff Members
The objective of this training is to enable staff to respond to a disclosure of sexual assault, and to know where to refer.
In this workshop, participants will:
- Be provided with legal definitions of sexual assault and consent
- Learn basic skills about supporting survivors of sexual assault
- Discuss the common responses and impacts to sexual violence
- Discuss how rape myths affect disclosures
- Have the opportunity to learn more about the services offered by our Centre
- Discuss scenarios
This workshop should take one hour.
Workshops can be tailored to meet the needs of the group. To request a workshop for your group, or for more information, contact Training and Development.
Email training.twt@otago.ac.nz
If you are supporting a student, we can offer you the guidance and support to inform how you can care for them and how you take care of yourself as a support person. https://www.otago.ac.nz/te-whare-tawharau/information