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REPORTS of sexual offences in the Horsham Police Service Area have almost tripled in the past decade.
The Crime Statistics Agency details the number of recorded offences in the region for each year ending June.
Figures show sexual offences reported to police have increased steadily, from 35 in 2010 to 103 in 2019.
The numbers peaked in the year ending June 2018, with 137 reported offences.
The Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre chief executive Helen Bolton said while awareness of sexual assault was on the rise in Australia, the vast majority of cases still went unreported because victims were reluctant to contact police.
"In 2018-19, The SAFV Centre in the Wimmera provided therapeutic sexual assault counselling services to 420 adults, children and young people," she said.
"This was an increase of 47 per cent from 2017-18. More than half of these clients also disclosed that they had been impacted by family violence."
Ms Bolton said cultural and social movements such as #metoo and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse had increased community discussion of sexual assault.
"This has provided a context of community support, as demonstrated through social media, to people who have been impacted by sexual assault," she said.
"It highlights a reduction in stigma and community's understanding and acceptance that sexual assault is never okay and never accepted.
"There are specialist sexual assault service providers for people impacted by sexual assault to access for support, if they choose, too."
Ms Bolton said while people were becoming more confident to talk about sexual assault, it was important to remember that responsibility for the sexual assault always remained with the perpetrator - not the person who had been assaulted.
"It is the perpetrator who chooses to use this violence," she said.
"The dismantling of common beliefs and myths of sexual assault assists people to feel supported in seeking specialist services.
"Perpetrators of sexual assault are most likely to be a trusted family member or friend, or someone known to the person.
"Sexual assault often overlaps with family violence and intimate partner violence."
Ms Bolton said the 2016 Personal Safety Survey highlighted that since the age of 15, one-in-six women has experienced sexual violence by a man they know.
In the Northern Grampians Police Service Area the number of sexual assaults peaked in 2016 with 140 reported offences. This was an increase from 41 offences in 2010.
The number of recorded offences has decreased in the past few years with 138 in 2017, 136 in 2018 and 119 in 2019.
Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Robertson said there was a cultural change happening around sexual assaults.
He said community attitudes were changing and more people were getting the confidence to come forward.
He said royal commissions into sexual abuse and family violence had also encouraged more people to report sexual assaults.
"It has certainly lifted the profile in the community," he said.
He said other community initiative, such as a 'say no to family violence' campaign, driven by the Rotary clubs in Horsham, had added to reducing the stigma.
"These are the sorts of things that are going to lift the profile generally in the community and give those people the confidence to come forward and report," he said.
Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre details:
People can contact The SAFV Centre on 5381 1211 to make an appointment or visit www.safvcentre.org.au for further information about services and outpost locations across the Wimmera.
All calls outside of business hours will be automatically diverted to the 24-hour Sexual Assault Crisis Line, on 1800 806 292.
Alternatively, people can contact the following:
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