I am one of countless people who runs an unfunded, grassroots organisation that provides frontline support to people who have been impacted by gender-based violence in Australia. Let's talk about why that's bad

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My org, End Rape on Campus Australia, provides direct support to people who have been impacted by sexual assault or harassment within higher ed in Australia. We formed a little over 8 years ago as a group of women who saw huge gaps in support for students impacted by sexual violence

End Rape on Campus Australia Some of us had experience working in the higher ed or sexual violence response spaces. None of us had formal qualifications in counselling, social work etc. Our work has been unpaid, as we're unfunded, often costing us money & always done around paid employment &/or study

End Rape on Campus Australia We've helped hundreds of student victim-survivors to file reports, apply for academic accommodations, seek legal support, access counselling & medical care, find new housing & a million other little things so that they can continue to stay enrolled in their studies

End Rape on Campus Australia We've lobbied for reform at campus, state & federal levels. We've made submissions, provided advice & produced reports. It's been gruelling & exhausting. Most of our original team no longer does the work & for a lot of the last few years, it's mostly been me, on my own.

End Rape on Campus Australia We don't have the funding to pay for the insurance we need to have ongoing volunteers or to provide the vicarious trauma support volunteers deserve. Burnout & vicarious trauma are ever-present, but so is the need for our services

End Rape on Campus Australia And that's why we keep going. The funded services, such as counselling services, run on the smell of an oily rag. They simply don't have the resources to help everyone & they can't always provide the practical support that victim-survivors need. So we step up.