La Trobe University Bendigo researchers set to interview survivors of drink spiking

Associate Professor Leesa Hooker and Dr Jess Ison are key members of the local team who received a $265,000 Victorian government crime prevention innovation fund grant earlier this year to tackle the crime - otherwise known as 'alcohol and other drug facilitated sexual violence' - across the state.

They hosted a range of community members on Tuesday to brainstorm solutions at multiple levels, Assoc Prof Hooker said.

"Jess and I presented our findings of the global evidence review looking into interventions against alcohol and other drug facilitated sexual violence," Assoc Prof Hooker said.

"Most of the those interventions were in the US so they weren't super relevant to us here, and there was no rural specific content.

"Then the attendees got into concept mapping the challenges and prioritising the challenges in terms of importance and we're considering the key contributing factors and thinking about the individual, societal and structural levels of that."

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The research is particularly focused on finding solutions that deal with the perpetrators, rather than victim-blaming or putting the onus on victim-survivors (largely made up of women), to prevent a crime from being committed.

Attendees from a range of local organisations contributed their experience to the sessions, including the Centre Against Sexual Assault - Central Victoria, the Centre for Non-Violence and Annie North Inc. which provides crisis and transitional support and refuge accommodation to women and children escaping domestic and family violence.

Victoria Police, Bendigo Community Health, City of Greater Bendigo Council, Women's Health Loddon Mallee, Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Service, Crime Stoppers, peer learning teams and student support officers from La Trobe University, paramedics and some retired police were also on hand for the workshops.

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The sessions have generated plenty of ideas, including potential solutions such as ideas for community programs and guidelines for different staff involved in alcohol service or in first-responders to the crime of alcohol and other drug facilitated sexual violence.

Dr Ison said the research team hoped to implement some of these suggestions as part of the project and to create resources in response.

The next stage for Assoc Prof Hooker and Dr Ison will be to interview victim-survivors of the crime, whether that has occurred in a nightclub, the home, on a date or in any other environment.

While research continues, the pair is keen to stress the crime itself is more broad than a perpetrator adding a drug to someone's drink in a nightclub, and they want to stop it in all its forms.

Those interested in participating or who have additional questions can contact Assoc Prof Hooker at L.Hooker@latrobe.edu.au or Dr Ison at J.Ison@latrobe.edu.au to express interest.

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