Recent prosecutions in Victoria and New South Wales have highlighted the serious criminal consequences of obtaining sexual services through deception and non-payment, as well as the important role sex workers have played in holding offenders accountable.
The Age recently reported on what is believed to be Victoria’s first successful prosecution involving deceptive non-payment for sexual services under the state’s affirmative consent laws. The accused, Oliver Graoroski, has pleaded guilty to 20 rape charges involving six sex workers and is due to be sentenced in October.
Southside Justice’s Sex Worker Legal Program (SWLP) supported two of the victim-survivors throughout the matter, providing extensive advocacy and support over many months to help overcome barriers to reporting and engagement with police.
Senior Lawyer and Manager of the SWLP Emily Smith was interviewed for the article, welcoming the outcome and acknowledging the courage of the sex workers who came forward.
“We acknowledge the courage of sex workers who have come forward to seek justice in the same legal system that criminalised them for their job only a few years ago,” Smith said.
The case highlights the importance of Victoria’s affirmative consent reforms, which recognise that consent is not present where a person makes false or misleading representations that they will pay a sex worker for services in order to obtain consent.
“Sex workers, like all workers, have the right to safe workplaces and are important stakeholders in holding sexual offending accountable in our community.”
– Emily Smith
Read the full article as reported by Cameron Houston and Isabel McMillan.
The SWLP has been actively working to strengthen system responses to sexual offending against sex workers. After identifying barriers to reporting and gaps in awareness of the law among some frontline officers, we developed and delivered specialist training to Victoria Police Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Teams (SOCIT). Training has so far been delivered to approximately 60 Bayside and Melbourne SOCIT officers and focuses on sexual offences affecting sex workers, respectful engagement, preferred language, and common misconceptions about the industry.
Early client feedback suggests the training is contributing to improved experiences for sex workers engaging with police. One client recently shared:
“They treated me with so much respect, kindness and dignity throughout the process. You mentioned that you had trained them, and I just wanted to say that you’ve clearly done an excellent job. It made a difficult day much easier to get through.”
While there is still work to do, feedback like this is an early indication that our advocacy and relationship-building efforts are making a tangible difference to improving access to justice for sex workers.
