AUSTRALIA
Moonee Valley Weekly

By NICK TOSCANO
Jan. 21, 2013

A WESTERN suburbs counselling service is dealing with a surge in demand from sexual assault victims as government inquiries trigger renewed trauma for survivors.

The Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault (WestCASA), which helps hundreds of western suburbs residents a year, has had a 30 per cent statewide increase in demand since the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse began in April and the Royal Commission was announced in November.

WestCASA executive officer Jane Vanderstoel warned that demand was likely to jump further when proceedings begin.

“All our centres have had contact with people who have not talked about this before,” she said.