Horrific Report Reveals Women Sheltering From 2022 Lismore Floods Were Sexually Assaulted

Mass evacuation centres in NSW are under review after women who were fleeing the catastrophic 2022 floods in Lismore were sexually assaulted at the shelters.

University of Newcastle researchers revealed in a harrowing report on Tuesday that some women affected by the floods had been subject to violence and sexual assault at the centres, some of which resulted in pregnancies, because of an environment of “chaos” with poorly organised responses from emergency services.

Large-volume centres like the one in Lismore are managed by police, with some services provided by the Department of Communities and Justice. However, the report found that women at the shelter stepped up and took charge to look after their communities.

“An absence of triaging to create discrete sections resulted in women and children sharing spaces with domestic violence perpetrators, sex offenders and those withdrawing from addictions,” the researchers found.

“Participants reported gender-based violence and sexual assaults resulting in pregnancies. The lack of access to pharmacies or contraception and inaccessible abortion services were noted as a problem.

“Participants in professional roles reported that the evacuation centre was unsafe for their clients, that assaults occurred there and that police were called every night.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns called the findings of the report “disturbing” and promised his government would look into reviewing the evacuation centres’ safety protocols.

“It’s a very disturbing report – it will be fully examined by the NSW government,” he said, per Guardian Australia.

“We’re taking it seriously at the highest levels of government. If there’s a criminal justice response [needed] of course that will be launched. We want to make sure that we learn lessons.”

NSW Police, for its part, told Guardian Australia it was not able to confirm “anecdotal reports” of sexual assault at the centres.

A Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) spokesperson told the publication the largest evacuation centre in Lismore was “extremely challenging” to manage because it had so many people who needed to stay there for an extended amount of time.

“Women and children deserve to feel safe at all times, but especially in the aftermath of emergencies,” the spokesperson said.

“DCJ takes all allegations of gender-based violence and sexual assault seriously and works closely with the police and other services during emergencies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people at evacuation centres.”

The University of Newcastle report recommended emergency services need to not only establish a triaging system for when people first arrive at emergency centres, but that they should also provide rooms for women and children that are separate from men, to keep them safe.

The DCJ created a manual for its smaller evacuation systems, which includes instructions about a triaging system and creating safe spaces for vulnerable people, last year. It said it has also been hiring more staff so there’s more people to respond to distress.

Given we are likely to see an increase in extreme weather events in the coming years, safety protocols at evacuation centres are more important than ever.

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