The Rainbow Serpent festival has launched a policy to handle sexual assault, following four reports during this year’s festival.
The 2017 festival will implement the “Nest” – a safe space for victims of assault or harassment where they will have access to counselling, medical resources, and more. In addition, all festival volunteers will undergo training with the Victorian Centres Against Sexual Assault.
During this January’s event, there were four reports of sexual assault. One of the victims, who cannot be named, told The Age it took 24 hours after her official complaint for her assailant to be removed from the festival.
“The only people who did what I would have hoped were the security guards … everyone else just dropped the ball and threw the ball away,” she told the paper.
Rainbow Serpent’s social services manager Mel Pearson came up with the safe space concept after this year’s alleged mishandling of assaults.
“We learned a lot from those [assault] reports, and I’ve had conversations with some of the people who made those reports after they reached out to us,” she said.
“Our guidelines include all transgender and gender diverse people, and we have an advocacy program as well.” Ms Pearson believes the policy is the first of its kind at an Australian festival.
In addition there will be warnings about consent throughout the festival, including on water bottles sold through vendors.
The popular Australia Day weekend festival in rural Victoria attracts roughly 10,000 punters. 2017 marks the bush doof’s 20th year of operation, with a lineup featuring the likes of Simon Posford, Extrawelt, D-Nox & Beckers, Perfect Stranger, Shpongle, Hallucinogen, and Astrix.
Tickets can be purchased here.
