Sexual Violence and Assault in Rural Australia: A Scoping Review of Regional, Rural, and Remote Contexts.

Abstract

Sexual violence (SV) is an insidious social phenomenon that results in physical, emotional, and psychological trauma. The aim of this article is to review the research pertaining to SV in regional, rural, and remote Australia. A systematic scoping review was undertaken using the Arksey and O'Malley five-step framework. A total of 25 articles were included in the review and appraised using the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool. Thematic analysis was undertaken to report the findings. This review highlight several key points: (a) similar findings resonated across all articles included in the review (published between 1996 and 2024), suggesting that despite public health and other campaigns highlighting gendered sexualized violence, little meaningful change has occurred, (b) the pervasive nature of SV in rural, remote, and regional Australia with some forms of SV being more prevalent than in metropolitan and urban areas, and (c) there are a multitude of noteworthy challenges of SV in rural and remote Australia, including barriers to disclosure and help-seeking. Problems with service delivery and responses to violence emerged as issues of concern. This scoping review highlights the unique issues and challenges that rural and remote communities face in relation to SV and that despite public health and other campaigns highlighting sexualized violence, little meaningful change has occurred. In addition, SV is a feature of life for many in rural, remote, and regional Australia.