Seeing Beyond the Individual: Unveiling the Hidden Dynamics of Sexual Revictimisation in Regional and Rural Areas

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Sexual revictimisation has detrimental health outcomes for women; yet, little is known about this experience in regional/rural areas. Guided by a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, we explore sexual assault counsellor perspectives on the revictimisation experiences of their clients and consider what conditions enable sexual revictimisation to be perpetrated within regional/rural spaces. Method This paper reports findings from a workshop held in September 2021 with counsellors (N = 27) from a sexual violence response organisation servicing regional and rural communities in Victoria, Australia. Results Findings from this study reveal that geographically and socially isolated spaces, cultures of victim-blaming, structural disadvantage and systemic revictimisation facilitated men in perpetrating sexual violence in local and specific ways. These material-discursive forces were thereby involved in the co-constitution of sexual revictimisation as a phenomenon. Conclusion It is imperative that revictimisation research and policy examine the multiple and complex material-discursive forces that co-constitute sexual violence experiences. Policy Implications Investigating the complex network of forces prevalent in sexual revictimisation experiences prompts us to transcend potentially victim-blaming explanations and detrimental policy measures focused solely on the individual. Instead, this approach cultivates a deeper appreciation for the divergent dynamics, agents and processes at play. It underscores the demand for more sophisticated research and policy interventions that grasp the complexity of revictimisation experiences.