About #InHerShoes

The #InHerShoes project is a research, narrative and awareness raising project documenting the responses to older women (and their families) who report sexual assault as an older women (aged 65+). It documents the experience from the older woman’s perspective so that we can identify strategies to improve responses; as a concrete way to prevent sexual assault.  If you would like to participate in an interview, please read the information sheet: here.

Shoes

Older women and their families, friends and advocates have shared the older womens' stories of how services responded to their reports of sexual assault. Click on the photograph of the older woman's shoes below to read her story. Our second story will be posted on March 2nd 2020.

#WalkWithHer

For the month of March 2020 we are calling on all Australians to express their solidarity with older women who experience sexual assault - by taking a photograph of their shoes. See the #WalkWithher page for details. 

Support us

The project was launched on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2019 at a Round Table on Sexual Assault of Older Women at Parliament House in Canberra. We are calling for supporters to help fund this project, click the link here for full description of the project.

Project launch, Parliament House Canberra  

On Monday 25th November 2019, Greens Senator Rachel Siewert hosted a Round Table on Sexual Assault of Older Women. This is an Australia first. To read the presentation by Dr Catherine Barrett, click the link here. If you would like to read the proposal for change developed by the Australian Association of Gerontology and the OPAL Institute, click the link here.

Petition

The Royal Commission into Quality and Safety in Aged Care has released its interim report - and sexual assault is not addressed. A number of submissions on sexual assault have been made - check ours here. The Older Women's Network, NSW have a petition to ask the Royal Commission to address sexual assault. Please consider signing the petition here. 

The Team

The #InHerShoes project is a partnership of the Power Project, with the Older Women's Network of New South Wales and is part of a proposed strategy that has been developed by the OPAL Institute in partnership with the Australian Association of Gerontology. If you would like to join our campaign please contact us using the details below. 

In the media 

Thankyou to all the journalists and writers who covered this important work to help raise awareness of the sexual assault of older women, including:
  • SBS News (25/11/19): Was mum raped? Daughters plea for answers from an aged care home. Link here

Contact us

If you would like more information please contact: