Sexual Exploitation Awareness | Berwick Star News

By Ethan Benedicto

A third of all young people supported by the St Kilda Gatehouse come from the City of Casey, with similar figures from the greater Dandenong area.

Since its founding in 1992, Gatehouse has been committed to providing a space of belonging and connection for women in sex work, particularly young women affected by sexual exploitation.

According to Rebecca Roberts, program director of the Young Women’s Program at Gatehouse, “it’s all about giving them self-determination.”

“To make decisions for themselves and to model for them what positive choices can look like and to show them how they can implement some of these things in their own lives,” she said.

The Young Women’s Program (YWP) began in 2015 and was created as an early intervention model for girls ages 12 to 25, with the goal of providing insight into the sexual exploitation they have experienced or are currently experiencing in order to bring about empowering change.

Nickie Gyomber, CEO of Gatehouse, said that while there is no “internationally accepted definition” of sexual exploitation, it is “the manipulation of another person through manipulation to engage in sexual acts for their own gratification (and) not for the pleasure of the (other) person.”

“St Kilda Gatehouse works on a relational model. That means we actually take the time to get to know people. Some organisations take a case management approach, we don’t. We walk side by side, we accompany people on their journey,” Ms Gyomber said.

The YWP team consists of Ms Roberts and three others. One of their initiatives is school-based group work programs, where Ms Roberts works closely with child protection services and the police, attending meetings with relevant parties to “look at how we can support and prevent the sexual exploitation of young people in the community.”

“This also involves talking to stakeholders in the community. These may be staff from other organisations who work with young people who are facing other problems. I then talk to them about how they can better support the young person,” says Ms Roberts.

These conversations range from community-based organisations, to child protection and residential care workers, to schools and so on. The welfare teams in schools are in regular contact with the YWP team to make recommendations or ask for support.

“Some of them are highly vulnerable young people who are struggling to make positive choices in their lives and may not have a lot of support in their community to help them overcome these,” Ms Roberts said.

She added that it is all about “the ability to say no when they don’t want something, the ability to make choices that are safe for them and provide them with the support they need to move on and be in an environment where they can live fulfilling lives.”

In March of this year, Gatehouse released a report on the participants’ findings, detailing that in a survey of 18 women, 100 percent reported an improvement in their safety.

In addition, 94 percent said they felt more valued and a sense of belonging, and 80 percent said they experienced improvements in areas such as secure relationships, mental health, a positive sense of identity, life skills, etc.

A major barrier identified in the survey was personal issues, with 78 percent of participants suffering from a range of problems, including AOD use or dependence, mental health problems and negative relationships.

“There are many risk factors that can contribute to being at risk of sexual exploitation. These may include a lack of interest in education, a lack of a positive bond with an important adult in one’s life, previous experiences of sexual abuse or negative experiences with sex.

“Also homelessness, living in a care home, learning disabilities and so on. In our program, we look at those risk factors and try to mitigate them, but then also try to build protective factors for the young people,” Ms Roberts said.

These protective factors include, for example, positive self-esteem and a positive relationship with an important role model. The young person’s connection to his or her community, the experience of some form of support or social engagement at school or at work are also important.

Although the process can be difficult, patience is a key factor that goes into the program’s relationship model. Ms. Gyomber says, “It’s not like a sausage factory where there’s this step and that step, because it’s really about responding to the needs of the individual in that space and at that time.”

“They may stay with us for years and that’s really important because when you have a young person who is constantly moving between homes or attending school, they may be missing a safe and consistent caregiver – and for some people, the YWP can be that safe and secure caregiver.”

For Mrs Roberts, maintaining this personal relationship is important and building this positive relationship can be done simply by “taking the children somewhere, away from their everyday lives”.

“We take them to a park or the beach or somewhere where they can escape into nature, feel safe and just share something. And that happens over time and through that relationship – nothing happens really quickly.

“Being patient and showing young people that you can trust them, listening to them and advocating for them makes all the difference,” says Ms Roberts.

Looking to the future, Ms. Gyomber would love to see the Gatehouse expanded into a statewide service. “This is a problem that exists across the state, across the country and across the world,” she says.

“The town of Casey is not a risk factor, but young people there, in the greater Dandenong area and also in some of the eastern areas have access to this service,” she said.

While expansion is ideal not only for the Gatehouse but also for those who use its services, they are still limited by funding. For now, the organization will continue to work with philanthropic partners, run its own fundraising campaigns, and collaborate with needy parties and the DFFH.

“We will continue to do all of this to ensure that we can maximize our impact,” Ms. Gyomber said.