This discussion includes topics that some listeners may find confronting.

The Invisible Crime: Are We Failing Victims of Sexual Violence? is an award-winning multimedia feature documentary made in 2019 by a team of investigative and data journalists from the Age and Sydney Morning Herald. The documentary explores why sexual assault is under-reported and examines the myriad barriers to successful prosecutions against assailants. It provides data-driven context on how and why the legal system so often fails to deliver justice to victims.

In this conversation, hosted by Age journalist Nicole Precel, we pick up where the documentary left off, discussing the fundamental principles that underpin our criminal law. How are sexual-assault victims disadvantaged by the onus of proof?

We also take a hard look at the concept of consent and examined how social attitudes towards it are changing. How do legal definitions of consent vary between states and territories – and how can we get better at teaching, and defining, consent in our everyday lives?

Presented in partnership with AIDC and the Age, with special support from Google News Initiative.

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