In supremely gross news, the mental health crisis hotline, Lifeline, is receiving calls from men who are after one thing: phone sex.
No.
In an interview with SBS’ The Feed, an anonymous Lifeline volunteer named Kathy* has detailed the types of gross calls she gets.
“I remember one of the first few times, I actually didn’t realise what they were doing,” she said.
“I didn’t even realise I was being sexually harassed.”
Dudes beating off their junk on a call with a volunteer for a mental health hotline that’s designed to help people in severe psychological crises? FFS. Can we not???
“You can hear funny breathing,” she told The Feed. “And sometimes you can hear other sounds as well.”
Other sounds??? I repeat: NO.
Unsurprisingly, female workers disproportionately experience more *ahem*… unsavoury calls than their male colleagues.
The volunteer explains that calls for phone sex aren’t rampant exactly, but they do distract from the calls that really matter. She also explains that if she has one phone sex call a night, she’s likely to get recurring calls.
“They’re really annoying. You want to talk to someone who you can actually help but they’re taking up your time. It doesn’t leave you feeling very comfortable,” she said.
Honestly, describing these fkn sex pests simply as ‘annoying’ is a far kinder word than I would use. Ughhhhhh.
According to Lifeline, 2 per cent of calls to the support service are ‘unwanted’ — sexual in nature, abusive, or threatening.
Over the years, Lifeline has implemented extra strategies to reduce cooked calls like this, including blocking repeat offenders for a period of time.
Another support hotline, 1800RESPECT, also told The Feed that they deal with phone calls that are sexual in nature.
“These types of calls are not unique to 1800RESPECT and are common across similar services,” a 1800RESPECT spokesperson told The Feed.
“I do get frustrated, although I know that any sort of free-to-call number receives these types of callers,” she said.
But as tempting as it is, don’t go sharpening your pitchforks just yet.
Kathy says it’s a complex issue because ultimately, these calls can be a sign of a lonely person who just wants to talk.
Similarly, another Lifeline volunteer expressed frustration over the calls but felt a strange sympathy towards the callers.
“In the end, I do also just feel sad for them because you kind of imagine the kind of person who decides to call [the] suicide crisis line for sexual gratification,” they said.
“Where must they be in their life to actually think that that’s an appropriate thing to do?”
Damn, that’s a waaaaay more empathetic take than I could conjure. Props.
*Not her real name
If you need mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online. Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online. If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
