Karen Iles has spoken out about her experiences as a 14-year old child being raped and sexually assaulted by a gang in Queensland & New South Wales. 

“Legal sources say one of the allegations – a gang-rape attack by up to 15 teenagers and adult men in a Gold Coast hotel room in 1993 – is among the most serious ever reported to authorities in Australia.” (Ben Smee, The Guardian Australia, 4 October 2022)

For 20 years Karen has been trying to hold police accountable so that they investigate her reports.

A Guardian Australia investigation details how police in Queensland and NSW have failed to investigate the crimes since they were first reported in 2004. In addition, both Queensland and NSW police complaint handling mechanisms have failed.

It’s another horrifying example of how Queensland and New South Wales Police systems and processes fail victims of child sexual assault and violence against women.

We need better accountability for police responses to child sexual assault, rape and violence against women and we need to demand it now. 

Will you help build the pressure for this change by signing this petition? 

You can visit the campaign website www.MakePoliceInvestigate.Org for more information.

What Karen’s experience shows is that our justice system (police) needs to respond better to rape and sexual violence

To hold perpetrators of rape and sexual assault accountable we need: 

• Victim/survivors of rape and sexual assault victim/survivors to report to police
• Police to investigate, consistently, predictably, without bias, victim-blaming and without retraumatising
• Prosecutors to bring cases
• Our courts to have victim/survivor focused practise (including specialist courts, prosecutors and juries)

Unfortunately, only about 10% of victim/survivors have confidence to report to police. To hold perpetrators accountable we need victim/survivors to come forward - they won’t when the police, court and justice process is so dreadful. To prevent rape and sexual assault, we must demonstrate that there are consequences.

In Australia less than 1% of men who rape and sexually assault women face any legal consequences. Effectively “we live in a society that has decriminalised rape and sexual assault” (Rachael Burgin). We have to quickly change this picture. The proposals in this campaign have been developed by lawyers, in consultation with victim/survivors and spearheaded by Solicitor and victim/survivor Karen Iles.

We must enhance and improve police response to victim/survivors of sexual assault. These proposals are a first step.

What is needed - the campaign asks

We are calling on each Attorney General to change the law and create:

1. Legally enforceable Duty of Care for victim/survivors - currently there is no Duty of Care owed by police to victim/survivors. They owe perpetrators and defendants a duty of care - but not victim/survivors! We urgently need a Duty of Care to make sure that Police don't re-traumatise victim/survivors. This goes beyond anti victim-blaming training. We want police to take care of victim/survivors; to support referrals to mental health, independent lawyers and other supports.
2. Legally mandated minimum standards of investigation - currently police have discretion what, if at all, to investigate and how. This means that bias (such as racism, homophobia, victim-blaming) negatively impacts police (in)action. We want access to justice to be evenly applied, police responses to ALL victim/survivors should be predictable and without bias.
3. Independent and transparent police accountability mechanisms - no more police investigating police. When police don't exercise a duty of care and harm/retraumatise victim/survivors, or unreasonably refuse to investigate, they must be held accountable.

Karen is asking Attorney-Generals to commit to change the law before the end of the year (2024); and to make sure victim-survivors are consulted every step of the way. 

In addition; Karen is calling for:

• National principles to ensure consistency across all States and Territories
• Support for Independent lawyers for victim/survivors to support, advise and represent in all steps of the process (from reporting to police all the way through the court process)
• All instances of cross-jurisdiction rape and sexual assault to be handled by the Australian Federal Police to ensure that victim/survivors aren’t dealing with multiple police forces in multiple jurisdictions regarding the same perpetrators.

Can you help? Sign this petition to demand changes to our law and police conduct. Then share it with others.

Thanks for your support on this important campaign. You can visit the campaign website www.MakePoliceInvestigate.Org for more information.

Jesse Wynhausen, on behalf of Karen Iles, her family and friends.

PS - If you would like to donate to support this campaign, and legal advice for other victim/survivors of sexual assault, go to The Karen Iles Sexual Assault Victims Justice Fund to make a tax deductible donation via the Sydney Community Fund. Please DON’T donate on this petition link - those funds go directly to change.org and NOT this campaign.