Sex assault media campaign launched in NSW

A young woman from NSW who reported her sexual assault to a police officer was so shocked by their response she has campaigned for change ever since.

Ruby Claire was sexually assaulted in Canada and wanted to report the incident back home in case the perpetrator ever tried to visit.

"The lady who took my statement said she was excited because it was her first rape case," Ms Claire told AAP.

Ms Claire was then asked to repeat her statement while the female officer was coached by a colleague over the phone.

When she finally gave her statement to two male detectives in a room the door was closed.

"The perpetrator of the violence was male, I thought this could be quite a terrifying experience for someone on their own."

She was also told the Canadian consulate would be alerted of the assault, but that never happened.

When Ms Claire asked her social media followers if any of them had a negative experience while reporting sexual violence the response was overwhelming.

"I was amazed that so many people had also had a negative experience so I used that data to inform a letter to police."

After reaching out to the NSW police about the incident Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec responded swiftly.

The campaign he launched on Thursday encourages sexual assault survivors to come forward. He was joined in Sydney by Ms Claire and Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia chief Karen Willis.

The five-part video campaign features members of the public responding to questions about the topic of sexual abuse, including the nature of consent.

Det Supt Kerlatec said consent needed to be understood and clearly communicated within the community.

"It needs to be right in the forefront of people's minds ... it's not inferred, it's not by accident or the way someone's dressed," he said.

He said every person has a right to report sexual assault.

"Whether they want a full investigation by police or not it's their right to come forward, and I encourage them to do so."

Det Supt Kerlatec said NSW police officers were also being educated about how to treat people who report such incidents.

Ms Willis said she had seen a shift in community attitudes and police responses to sexual assault over the past 40 years.

"We had a situation a while ago where a young woman was hesitant ... and police agreed to meet her down at the beach because that was a safe space," Ms Willis said on Thursday.

"The officer actually went home, took off the suit whacked on the board shorts, grabbed a towel and sat on the beach with her for two hours."

Ms Willis said perpetrators of sexual assault were slipping through the cracks upon arrival in the NSW court system, and encouraged major reform of the sector.

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