Gender-based Violence support

Safety and respect on campus

Macquarie University is committed to fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive campus, where everyone is treated with dignity, and where all forms of Gender-based Violence, including sexual assault and sexual harassment, are strictly prohibited.

If you or someone you know at Macquarie has experienced any form of Gender-based Violence, support is available. You can seek confidential support, information, and guidance in a way that feels right for you. To access specialised Gender-based Violence support and to talk through your options, please complete the Gender-based Violence Referral Form.

Understanding Gender-based Violence

The information below outlines behaviours that may be considered Gender-based Violence within the University context.

Find out more about what behaviours may be considered Gender-based Violence at the University.

Gender-based Violence means any form of physical, sexual, psychological, or economic violence, harassment, abuse or threats, based on gender that result in, or is likely to result in, harm, coercion, control, fear or deprivation of liberty or autonomy. Gender-based Violence includes sexual assault, sex-based harassment, workplace sexual harassment, stalking, cyber abuse, family and domestic violence, and conduct that creates a hostile, intimidating, or humiliating environment on the basis of sex, gender, or sexuality, in both online and offline contexts.

Gender-based Violence encompasses but is not limited to the following types of violence :

• Sexual violence including sexual acts, attempts to obtain a sexual act, sexual assaults, or acts otherwise directed against a person’s sexuality without the person’s consent, occurring in both online and offline contexts.
• Physical violence including kicking, beating, pushing, slapping and hitting etc.
• Coercive control including patterns of controlling, intimidating, or emotionally abusive behaviour, as well as verbal abuse, manipulation, threats, and blackmail. These behaviours may occur both on and/or offline.
• Economic and financial abuse including acts or behaviours that cause an individual economic harm. Economic or financial abuse can take the form of property damage, restriction of access to financial resources, education or the labour market, or a failure to fulfil certain economic responsibilities. The control mechanisms may include controlling the victim’s access to healthcare services, bank accounts, employment etc.
• Harassment includes both sexual harassment and gender harassment and takes place in both online and offline contexts:
  • Sexual harassment is unwanted verbal, nonverbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature such as touching, comments on a person’s looks or body, stalking, sending [sharing] images with sexual content or sexist jokes. Sexual harassment is not the same as sexual assault although the two can and often do overlap
  • Gender harassment is harassment on the grounds of sex but without sexual connotations such as diminishing or hateful comments, exclusion, silencing or stereotypical prejudices.
• Technology-facilitated abuse and violation can take many forms such as cyberstalking, cyberbullying, internet-based sexual abuse, non-consensual distribution of sexual images and text, certain features of which arise from the nature of technology eg. instantaneousness, asynchronicity, personalisation, global connectivity, reproducibility of images, the blurring of the ‘real’ and the ‘representational’.

Macquarie's Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Policy aligns with the University's aims and the above definitions

Accessing Gender-based Violence support

Students, staff and members of the public are encouraged to report any incidents of Gender-based Violence associated with the Macquarie University community. When making a report, you can identify yourself or remain anonymous but please note that if you make an anonymous report, the University may be limited in what it can do to respond.

If you have been impacted by Gender-based Violence, support is available regardless of when the experience occurred. Accessing support does not require you to make a complaint or take any further action unless you choose to do so.

If you would like to inform the university about any incidents of Gender-based Violence associated with the Macquarie University community and/or receive specialist Gender-based Violence support, please complete the Gender-based Violence Referral form.

When completing the form, you can identify yourself or remain anonymous, but please note that if you make an anonymous report, the University may be limited in what it can do to respond.

After submitting a Gender-based Violence referral form online, a representative of the Gender-based Violence Response team will contact you (if you identify yourself) to provide information about support and response options.

Response options depend on the situation and the needs of the person experiencing Gender-based Violence. Refer to the Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Policy.

You can also report Gender-based Violence to the NSW Police. Once you have reported to the police they will ask you details about the incident and discuss the possibility of a criminal investigation.

Off campus emergency

Police and ambulance services
T: 000

On campus emergency

Macquarie Campus Security
T: +61 (2) 9850 9999

Northern Sydney Sexual Assault Services

Provides evidence-gathering assessments and counselling services for adult victims of sexual assault.
T: +61 (2) 9462 9477

MQ Health – GP Services

You can ask for a bulk-billed appointment from the GP service at Macquarie University Hospital. Most international student health cover is accepted.
T: +61 (2) 9812 3944

Ryde Hospital

The Ryde Hospital has an emergency department available.
T: +61 (2) 9858 7888

Royal North Shore Hospital

The Royal North Shore Hospital has an emergency department available.
T: +61 (2) 9926 7111

Women's Health Centres NSW

Women's Health Centres located around NSW provide a range of medical and counselling services, free or low cost.

Full Stop Australia

24/7 telephone and online sexual and domestic violence counselling.
T: 1800 FULL STOP (1800 385 578)

Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helplines

For anyone from the LGBTIQ+ community whose life has been impacted by sexual domestic and/or family violence. Available 24/7.
T: 1800 497 212

Sydney Women’s Counselling Centre

Specialist counselling service supporting women affected by trauma.
T: +61 (2) 9718 1955

MensLine 24/7

A telephone and online support and information service for Australian men.
T: 1300 78 99 78

Survivors and Mates Support Network

A not-for-profit organisation working to increase public awareness of the effects that childhood sexual abuse can have on men in their adult lives.
T: 1800 472 676

QLife LGBTIQ Counselling

A counselling and referral service for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and/or queer (LGBTQIA+). Online and phone counselling are available.
T: 1800 184 527

Twenty10 (incorporating Gay and Lesbian Counselling Services)

Sydney based service providing a broad range of specialised services for young people 12-25 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender diverse, non-binary, intersex, questioning, queer, asexual and more (LGBTQIA+). Services include housing, mental health, counselling and social support.
T: +61 (2) 8594 9555

If you're supporting someone who has experienced Gender-based Violence:

• check they are safe
• listen to and acknowledge their disclosure
• tell them about specialist support
• encourage them to complete the Macquarie University Gender-based Violence Referral form
• let them know they can report to the NSW police

You can also contact University and external support on their behalf. If someone discloses their experience of Gender-based Violence, it is important to respect their confidentiality and privacy. Share the least information you need to, with the least number of people.