Sexual violence prevention during emergencies

Tallulah:
I believe that everyone has a role to play in sexual violence prevention. Like, individuals from you and me, to small businesses, right up to the large organisations and government institutions, whether that's local government or central government.

Rebecca:
We know that planning to prevent sexual violence after an emergency is the right thing to do. Studies show, and we know it from events around the world and around New Zealand, that sexual and domestic violence increase after an emergency.

So having mechanisms and plans in place to prevent this is really important. At WREMO we've implemented training partnerships and shelter design, which will help to mitigate the risks of sexual violence after an emergency.

Tallulah:
And it's because of the stress that people are experiencing, because of unstable housing or, being in mass accommodation or just kind of all of the things that make this a really unstable and stressful time for everyone.

So what I've been doing with WREMO is looking at their emergency assistance centre guidelines and their mass-accommodation guidelines, reviewing those from a sexual violence prevention lens, and giving some recommendations on what they can do before and during emergencies to make their services and their centres safer for the communities that are using them.

Rebecca:
Tallulah's expertise helped us bring trauma-informed practices into our planning, and also train our staff to be able to handle disclosures sensitively and safely.

Tallulah:
I also presented to their Welfare Managers Forum. So those are the people who would manage the welfare function in an emergency, which is really looking for that community care and looking after community needs. So I presented to them about sexual violence in emergencies and what they can do to add some prevention aspects to their work. So putting it in those guidelines means it's going to be there going forward for WREMO as part of their standard operating procedure.

Rebecca:
If something were to happen after an emergency, we know that our staff are trained appropriately to keep people safe, as safe as possible.

Aotearoa faces some of the highest rates of sexual violence, with significant and long-lasting impacts on individuals, whānau and communities. Many people are unaware of the rise in sexual violence during and following emergencies or natural disasters.

In a proactive move to address this, the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) has introduced new training partnerships and shelter designs aimed at mitigating these risks and preventing sexual violence in this setting.

Tallulah Cardno, a specialist in sexual violence prevention, was engaged to work with WREMO and emphasises the importance of collective responsibility. "I believe that everyone has a role to play in sexual violence prevention. From individuals like you and me to small businesses, large organisations, and government institutions, whether local or central," says Cardno.

Rebecca Jackson, a Senior Emergency Management Advisor at WREMO agrees. She highlights the necessity of violence prevention, and planning for such scenarios. "We know that planning to prevent sexual violence after an emergency is the right thing to do. Studies show, and we know from events around the world and New Zealand, that sexual and domestic violence increase after an emergency," Jackson stated.

Reviewing guidelines and supporting staff

WREMO's violence prevention initiatives include reviewing emergency assistance centre guidelines and mass-accommodation guidelines from a sexual violence prevention perspective. "I've been working with WREMO to review their guidelines and provide recommendations on making their services and centres safer for communities during emergencies," Cardno explained.

Jackson acknowledged the impact of Cardno's work on WREMO's operations. "Tallulah's helped us bring trauma-informed practices into our planning and also train our staff to handle disclosures sensitively and safely," she says. This means staff are aware of the effects of trauma and reduces the risk of causing more trauma.

Cardno also presented to WREMO's Welfare Managers Forum, focusing on integrating sexual violence prevention into their emergency response plans, so that they become part of WREMO's standard operating procedures going forward.

With these measures in place, WREMO is confident in its ability to support and protect people during emergencies. "If something were to happen after an emergency, we know that our staff are trained appropriately to keep people as safe as possible," Jackson says.

ACC investing to create safer communities

We're investing in preventing sexual violence in several ways. This includes supporting and growing the violence prevention workforce (people like Tallulah), along with supporting community-led initiatives, shifting social norms and behaviours, supporting kaupapa Māori-informed prevention initiatives, and child sexual abuse prevention.

This work with WREMO and Wellington City Council was part of ACC's commitment to Te Aorerekura, the national strategy and action plan to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.

You can find out more about violence prevention on our website.