Hon Paula Bennett
Minister for Social Development

13 June 2014

Are you that someone – let’s stop sexual violence campaign

A new campaign aimed at helping young New Zealanders stop sexual violence is being launched today by Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“The campaign ‘Are you that someone’ will encourage young people to identify the signs that someone may be at risk of sexual violence, and find ways to safely step in early,” says Ms Bennett.

Almost one in three women and one in 10 men in New Zealand will be victims of a sexual assault at some point in their lives.

“As the lead Minister for the sexual violence sector, I know that to tackle the appalling rate of sexual violence in this country we have to change some aspects of our culture. This campaign is a first step in a much wider sexual violence primary prevention strategy.

“The public debate last year about the alleged activities of the ‘Roast Busters’ group has highlighted confusion around what’s appropriate and what crosses the line into sexual violence, and how to respond.”

“This campaign aims to inform and empower young people to see the signs, speak up, and step in safely.

“That means for example recognising when someone’s too wasted to give consent to sex, and speaking up on their behalf. It means checking in with your mates to see if they’re OK with the attention they’re getting.”

Paula Bennett says the campaign will use social media to share advice and information and encourage people to think and talk about preventing sexual violence.

“We believe that young people giving each other the confidence to know when to intervene is key to reducing sexual violence amongst young people,” says Mrs Bennett.

The campaign will run until late July and will be centred on a series of visual images showing a person at risk of sexual violence and suggesting how someone could step in.

ENDS

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