Midlands Sexual Assault Support Service Fund

Donations to the Midlands Sexual Assault Support Service Fund provide income that enables crucial work supporting victim-survivors of sexual violence.

Victim-survivors of sexual violence don’t want to talk about what’s happened to them, so it is critical they can safely tell their story once, and once only, to get the immediate help and ongoing support they need.

“The first door they knock on has to be the right door,” says Dr Kate Taylor, Trust Chair of the Midlands Sexual Assault Support Service (MSASS).

“Victim-Survivors don’t have the capacity to advocate for themselves, you can’t send them elsewhere, they won’t make a second call. Our service ensures they get support, without having to repeat themselves.”

“We are a safe place for everybody. Our values are professional excellence, purpose-filled connection, to be trusted and to deliver a reliable service,” says Kate.

The need for MSASS services is significant - sexual violence is much more prevalent than most people believe. A New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey in the early 2020s said that 78,000 adults, some 1.9% of the adult population, one in fifty, had been subjected to sexual violence in the last year.

The percentages are even higher for some population groups, particularly young women, and these numbers don’t include children and youth. The overall rate of victimhood is not believed to be growing but the numbers seeking help is steadily increasing.

“The numbers suggest there cannot be one person in this country who does not know someone affected, whether we’re aware of it or not,” says Simone Molenaar, the Chief Vision Officer at MSASS.

“Nine out of ten people we talk to respond with a story of sexual assault. Less than ten per cent report it, and the most impacted groups are wholly underrepresented.”

“It is so common and yet hidden away because of shame and secrecy, people don’t know how many people they know are victim-survivors,” says Simone.

MSASS commits to seeing anyone, regardless of age, despite the fact that it is not funded to support anyone under 18, even though over a third of their clients are children and young people.

This alone points to the vulnerability of the Service’s financial support, which currently comes from various arms of government and is therefore subject to the ebb-and-flow of political priorities.

The investment income from the Midlands Sexual Assault Support Service Fund at Momentum Waikato goes into sustaining and expanding the service’s ability to help victim-survivors.