Many older women have had unwanted sexual experiences in later life, which can harm their health and wellbeing. Yet often their experiences are not recognised, as people tend to assume sexual violence only affects younger women.

The ROSE project aims to change this through a 4-year program of research led by The University of Melbourne and the University of Newcastle.

The project includes:

1. Analysing media reporting and legal cases to see how sexual violence against older women is portrayed in the community and addressed in legal contexts.

2. Exploring the impacts of sexual violence on older women’s wellbeing over time using survey data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health

3. Interviewing older women who have had unwanted sexual experiences in later life to hear their stories and to understand their justice and healing needs. Participants may also take part in an optional session with renowned photographer Ponch Hawkes to create photos that represent their stories.

Project team:

Professor Laura Tarzia (Lead, University of Melbourne)

A/Prof Bianca Fileborn(University of Melbourne)

Prof Deborah Loxton (The University of Newcastle)

Prof Heather Douglas (University of Melbourne, The University of Queensland)

Dr Mandy McKenzie (University of Melbourne).

The project is funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant No. DP250101545.