Bianca Fileborn

• PhD Criminology
• Lecturer at UNSW Sydney

The existing research on sexual violence has primarily concentrated on instances where cisgender, heterosexual men have perpetrated sexual violence against cisgender, heterosexual women, with knowledge about LGBTQ+ people underdeveloped. However, there is a growing body of literature examining the experiences of LGBTQ+ people. No previous review ha...

Sexual violence experienced by LGBTQ+ adults is a rapidly expanding field of academic study. Therefore, there is a need for a synthesis and critical analysis of the research. The aim of this review was to conduct a critical review of the academic literature on adult LGBTQ+ sexual violence and to provide recommendations for future research. A total...

This article explores the limitations of criminal legal responses to gender-based violence in Australia, specifically sexual assault law reforms and the criminalisation of coercive control. We demonstrate that carceral horizons deployed to address gender-based violence cause further harm to survivors and overshadow diverse perceptions and practices...

Most research on street harassment has focused on the experiences of heterosexual, cisgender women, shaping our understandings of street harassment as a problem of sexism and men’s violence against women. In this article, we examine semi-structured interviews with 25 LGBTQ+ Australians who detailed their experiences of street harassment. We found t...

A growing body of literature has documented the pervasive occurrence of harassment in schools, and street-based harassment. However, to date there has been little attention to street-based harassment occurring in school-related contexts, such as walking to and from school in uniform. In this article, we aim to address this gap by exploring findings...

Since the 1980s there has been a rapid increase in the available evidence about the prevalence, causes, impacts and responses to gender-based violence (GBV). Despite the explosion of research in this field – and vital contributions from feminist geographers – space and place remain important, yet overlooked, elements of GBV. This edited collection...

Community attitudes towards sexual and gender-based violence play a central role in normalising, excusing and minimising perpetrators’ actions, as well as fostering a violence-supportive culture. However, we currently know little regarding how members of the community understand or perceive ‘everyday’ or seemingly ‘minor’ forms of harassment and in...

Despite the pervasive nature of street harassment, there is currently little research exploring who perpetrates street harassment and why. Drawing on interviews with Australians who have experienced street harassment, we examine their insights into perpetration. Participants identified individual-level, social/cultural, structural and contextual fa...

Research on peer review to date has focused on its role as a formal compliance mechanism, a process for enhancing and developing teaching practice, and as a considerable source of anxiety for educators. In this paper, we draw on scholarly reflections from our experience of undertaking a reciprocal, formative peer review in an Australian higher educ...

Given the recent surge of research about sexual violence, it is timely to revisit the role of ethics in this field. This article examines two key frameworks which govern ethics in sexual violence research: institutional risk management and trauma discourse. While recognising the importance of these frameworks, we argue that they share a narrow conc...

In an era of datafication, data visualisation is playing an increasing role in civic meaning-making processes. However, the conventions of data visualisation have been criticised for their reductiveness and rhetoric of neutrality and there have been recent efforts to develop feminist principles for designing data visualisations that are compatible...

Digital maps have been taken up as a productive tool in both activism and academic research. However, there has been less consideration of their use as a research method in qualitative social sciences research. This paper aims to contribute towards scholarship on qualitative research by providing a critical reflection on the use of digital mapping...

Bystander intervention has shown promise in preventing sexual violence in certain social contexts. Despite emerging evidence of pervasive sexual violence at music festivals, no research has considered bystander intervention in this setting. Drawing on an online survey conducted with 371 Australian festival attendees, we explore the role of gender o...

Much has been written about the search for carnivalesque release in late-modern society, but relatively less attention has been paid to the harms experienced within this practice. Based on mixed-methods qualitative research including observational fieldwork at a large, multi-day camping festival in NSW, Australia, and in-depth interviews with victi...

This article presents findings from a comprehensive mapping exercise of activist responses to, and policy advocacy for, street harassment across the US, UK and Australia. Analysis of activist groups found that the bulk of responses constituted forms of “awareness raising” and documenting the experiences of victims, suggesting that current advocacy...

When #MeToo exploded onto social media in October 2017, it dramatically ruptured public consciousness in revealing the widespread nature of sexual harassment and violence around the world. Yet, despite the global attention afforded to #MeToo, it was preceded by numerous initiatives, which we argue created digital footprints instrumental in renderin...

This chapter examines the research evidence to present key issues in the sexuality and ageing field. The chapter utilizes a sexual rights framework to contextualize sexuality and ageing for psychiatry and psychiatric practice. It discusses sexual activity in middle and later life and the sexual difficulties that older adults can experience. It expl...

In 2015, the Pahela Baishakh (Bengali New Year) celebrations in Bangladesh were marred by incidents of mass sexual assaults. This incident generated widespread public discussion, and many survivors took to the digital realm to disclose their own experiences. Break the Silence Bangladesh was a Facebook page established to provide a space for shared...

This qualitative study explored the barriers and facilitators to sexual communication between older adults and friends. Fifty-three women and men aged 58 and older were interviewed about their intimate relationships and sexual behaviours and attitudes. Findings indicated that talking about sex with friends played an important role in providing supp...

Media representation of sexual violence and sexual consent communication in cases involving queer people is an area that has been overwhelmingly overlooked by research thus far. Research looking at heterosexual instances of sexual violence has given us valuable insights into how (hetero)normative gender roles are constructed in news media, and how...

Despite the well-documented under-reporting of sexual violence, to date, no research has considered reporting practices within the specific context of music festivals. Drawing on 16 in-depth interviews with victim-survivors, this article examines survivors’ experiences of (non)reporting sexual violence in festival settings. We argue that while some...

This chapter analyzes media responses to the Shitty Media Men list, an open-source document briefly circulated on the Internet in late 2017 that enabled women to anonymously report instances of sexual misconduct and violence perpetrated by men working in the US media industry. The chapter employs an ethical lens to explore concepts of moral communi...

In this concluding chapter, we critically reflect on the future of #MeToo. We position #MeToo as a rupture in public discussions about what constitutes sexual harassment and violence, as well as who is afforded recognition. However, we are cautious about the ways in which the interventions following this rupture may be problematic and reinforce the...

This chapter examines the emergence of the #MeToo phenomenon and aims to situate the movement within a broader political and historical context. Arguably, the #MeToo movement has been a watershed moment and reckoning for victim-survivors of sexual violence on a scale not previously witnessed. #MeToo has dominated global news headlines and public di...

This chapter examines how definitions of sexual violence are contested and potentially disrupted through feminist activist movements such as #MeToo. Drawing on key case studies from #MeToo, we examine how the boundaries of what constitutes sexual violence are destabilized. Debates emerging from #MeToo represent a power struggle over who is able to...

Background & Aims Despite increasing anecdotal evidence that sexual violence occurs at music festivals, to date no research has addressed this issue. This pilot project aimed to establish a research base in this area by investigating patron experiences and perceptions of sexual assault, harassment and safety at music festivals in Australia. Methods...

Historically, police and the criminal justice system more broadly played a role in the policing of queer identity and the construction of queer communities as ‘deviant’. Emerging queer criminological scholarship has documented the extent to which this historical context (at least within the Global North) continues to shape interactions between poli...

In this chapter, we present and interrogate findings from an exploratory, qualitative research project on aged care service providers’ ‘best-practice’ responses to older women who have been sexually assaulted as older women or were viewed as ‘at-risk’ of being targeted for sexual assault. Aged care service providers are likely to have access to wom...

Sexual violence has predominantly been discursively constructed as bounded and binary, leaving little room for ambiguous or uncertain experiences. The #MeToo movement, however, saw some highly contested cases enter into mainstream news coverage that challenged these dominant understandings, including the divisive case of Aziz Ansari. This research...

#MeToo has sparked a global re-emergence of sexual violence activism and politics. This edited collection uses the #MeToo movement as a starting point for interrogating contemporary debates in anti-sexual violence activism and justice-seeking. It draws together 19 accessible chapters from academics, practitioners, and sexual violence activists acro...

Gender inequality is universally understood to be a continued problem in the music industry. This volume presents research that uses an industry-based approach to examine why this gender imbalance has proven so hard to shift, and explores strategies that are being adopted to try and bring about meaningful change in terms of women and gender diverse...

Street harassment may be considered an “unspeakable” harm on account of the routine silencing and trivialization of victims’ experiences. Disclosing street harassment is vital in making its harms visible and in working to transform social and cultural attitudes. Despite a recent resurgence of interest in street harassment via online activist groups...

A philosophical frame for violence against women and girls creates unique opportunities to deepen our understanding of the embodied consequences of men's violence. Using the seemingly innocuous example of being told to "cheer up" or "smile", we draw on Simone de Beauvoir and Franz Fanon's work on recognition to suggest that a phenomenological appro...

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have risen among older people in Australia and other countries. To guide future initiatives, we examined sources of information that older people use or are willing to use for knowledge about safer sex and STIs, including whether there are any gender differences. A total of 2137 Australian adults aged 60+ year...

A qualitative and quantitative study of the interactions between Victoria Police and LGBT young people. The report includes state-wide questionnaires and small group and individual interviews with both Victoria Police and LGBT young people. The report makes recommendations to police, LGBTI youth and community groups and Government aimed at improvin...

This article examines street harassment victims’ experiences of bystander intervention in incidents of harassment. Drawing on the findings of a mixed-methods pilot study undertaken in Melbourne, Australia, it considers what forms these interventions took and the impact(s) they had on the harassment. It examines the impact(s) that bystander interven...

That many older individuals continue to engage in various forms of sexual expression well into later life is now well established in the literature. To date, however, only a small body of qualitative research has examined older men’s experiences and understandings of sex in later life. Likewise, the ways in which older men’s discussions on sex may...

Objectives While still in its early stages, recent scientific research towards a cure for HIV has generated widespread media interest. The aim of this paper was to explore the ways in which this research has been represented in Australian print and online media and discuss implications of this. Methods A search of databases from four selected medi...

Experiences of ageism are associated with poorer health outcomes. Sexual activity and interest are areas in life where the impact of ageism may also be evident as popular culture often depicts the older body as asexual, undesirable or sexually impotent. We explore the possible links between experiences of ageism and sexual activity/interest in late...

This study explored sexual satisfaction in older heterosexual Australians using data from a national sample of 1,583 men and women aged 60+ who hoped or planned to have sex in the future. Data collection took place in 2015; participants were recruited using a variety of online and offline advertisements. Less than half the sample (46%) reported the...

Objectives: This article examines relationships between experiences of ageism and four specific mental health outcomes among older Australian adults, including whether these relationships vary depending on age, gender, and sexual orientation. Methods: A survey was conducted nationwide involving 2137 participants aged 60 years and older. Mental heal...

The practices comprising the analytic category of street harassment are rarely responded to through either criminal or restorative justice approaches, and the possibilities for transformative justice have to date not been considered. In this article we advocate for a victim-centred justice response to street harassment, specifically examining the p...

Objective: Healthcare providers (HCPs) can play an important role in supporting the sexual health of older adults; however, we know little about the experiences of older people in talking to HCPs about sex. This article examines older adults' experiences and perceptions of talking to HCPs about sex. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were condu...

Objective: Health Care Providers (HCPs) can play an important role in supporting the sexual health of older adults ;however we know little about the experiences of older people in talking to HCPs about sex. This article examines older adults’ experiences and perceptions of talking to HCPs about sex. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducte...

Sex, Age & Me is the first Australian study of its kind to comprehensively explore sex, sexual health, and the relationships of older Australians aged 60+ years. This report summarises key findings and policy/practice recommendations.

Objective: To examine older Australian's perspectives on how their sexual lives can best be supported and/or improved. Methods: Fifty-three, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian men (n = 30) and women (n = 23) aged 60 and over. Results: Participants identified a range of key issues and areas where their sexual lives could...

Objective: Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are rising among older Australians. We conducted a large survey of older people's knowledge of STIs and safer sexual practices. Methods: A total of 2,137 Australians aged 60 years and older completed the survey, which included 15 questions assessing knowledge of STIs and safer sexual pra...

Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are increasing in older cohorts in Western countries such as Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., suggesting a need to examine the safer sex knowledge and practices of older people. This article presents findings from 53 qualitative interviews from the study “Sex, Age & Me: a National Study of Sex and Re...

In this chapter Fileborn and her colleagues discuss the experiences of LGBT people and the challenges they face - regarding their identity, sexuality, family relationships and stigma - in leading them to live (or not) in multigenerational households.

This paper examines the preferred sexuality education sources of older Australian adults in later life. Drawing on findings from qualitative interviews with 30 men and 23 women aged 60 years and older, we consider the sources that participants currently use, or would like to use, in seeking information about sex. Where relevant, we examine particip...

Emerging scholarship has considered the potential for online spaces to function as sites of informal justice. To date, there has been little consideration of the experiences of individuals who seek justice online, and the extent to which victims’ justice needs can be met online. Drawing on the findings of a mixed-methods research project with stree...

Background: Rates of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) are increasing among older adults in many countries. Little is known about the testing and treatment histories of these populations. Correlates of testing in the past 5 years among older adults who may be at risk of a STI were examined. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 2137 Australia...

This book explores young adults' experiences and understandings of sexualised violence within licensed venues. Although anecdotally common, unwanted sexual attention in pubs and clubs has been the focus of relatively little criminological analysis. This text provides the first exploration of how and why unwanted sexual attention occurs in licensed...

A legal definition of rape that exonerates an accused who ‘reasonably believes in consent’ is currently in force in a number of jurisdictions in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Limited empirical research has investigated community and professional perceptions of the adequacy and scope of this definition of rape. The present study con...

This article provides a critical review of current literature on the sexual assault of older women-including an exploration of the specific features and emotional and physical impacts of older women's experiences-and highlights current gaps and future directions for research, practice, and theory. A review of the literature indicates that older wom...

There has been considerable anxiety regarding the issue of safety in the night-time economy in the past decade. This has been apparent within both an Australian and international (Western) context, with the bulk of this anxiety arising in response to the occurrence of physical violence between young men. To date, there has been little attention pai...

This paper explores young adults' suggestions for preventing unwanted sexual attention in licensed venues. Despite emerging evidence that unwanted sexual attention and sexual violence are significant issues faced by young adults in the night-time economy, there has been little introduced in the way of preventative strategies or campaigns. Drawing o...

Sexual violence within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) communities remains largely under-researched and under-theorised. Yet, emerging research suggests that sexual violence is a significant issue within the LGBTIQ communities. Additionally, the occurrence of sexual violence and unwanted sexual atten...

What role might a sense of community and belonging play in facilitating young adults’ sense of safety in venues? Does feeling a sense of community and belonging—that you are ‘like’ other patrons and are being ‘looked out’ for—shape the ways in which young people understand and interpret unwanted sexual attention? The chapter explores the ways that...

Alcohol and other drugs are strongly associated with the occurrence of sexual violence. Although alcohol in particular is commonly associated with sexual offending, there has been little attention paid to the specific ways in which alcohol is utilised in offending, or to the social and cultural contexts in which alcohol-related offending occurs. Th...

What can we now say about what unwanted sexual attention is, and how might we begin to take steps to prevent it? This book presents important implications for current conceptual and theoretical understandings of sexual violence. Such understandings require a degree of fluidity or flexibility, and the author advocates for the use of assemblage as a...

What role do the material and non-corporeal elements of venues play in mediating young people’s sense of safety and in shaping or facilitating the occurrence of unwanted sexual attention? This chapter explores the role of spatial design, environment, and geographies as a final component of assemblages of unwanted sexual attention and safety. Howeve...

Licensed venues are often highly sexual spaces. That is, they are places where sexual interaction can be normative and actively sought out by young people. What role might sexual venue cultures play in facilitating the occurrence of unwanted sexual attention? How do we distinguish between the wanted and the unwanted in the context of a night out? T...

Unwanted sexual attention within the night-time economy has received relatively little attention to date, particularly in comparison with men’s physical violence in this space. This opening chapter to the first book-length treatment of this issue outlines why a situational approach to understanding sexual violence is necessary and why unwanted sexu...

What, precisely, is unwanted sexual attention? This chapter explores the ways in which young adults understand, construct, and experience unwanted sexual attention within the context of licensed venues. It shows that unwanted sexual attention constitutes a broad range of behaviours, ranging from seemingly ‘minor’ instances of staring, groping, and...

Internationally and in Australia, rape law reforms in recent decades have had mixed outcomes. As a result, when the Victorian government began consulting on another round of major reforms in this area, the authors designed a qualitative research project to investigate whether a proposed change to the definition of rape is likely to clarify and simp...

This article explores the ways in which young adults produce a sense of safety in pubs and clubs. Despite considerable anxiety around issues pertaining to safety and violence in the night-time economy, there is little consideration of how young adults themselves feel about their safety on a night out, or how they achieve a sense of safety in a seem...

In this article I reflect on my experiences of using Facebook as a recruitment tool. Although there were many benefits associated with using this method of recruitment, there were also several unanticipated ethical dilemmas that arose. This article reflects on these dilemmas, locating them within some broader concerns around online research and pri...

Research on law reform has identified a variety of factors that help or hinder the reform process, but it has not systematically explored the role that empirical research plays and could play in enabling and enhancing law reform. Drawing on a series of qualitative interviews with criminal law reform experts in Victoria, we analyse the current uses...

You can download this article from https://theconversation.com/ageing-gracefully-how-women-steer-the-line-between-inauthentic-and-old-35726

This paper written for a wide academic and popular audience discuss the results from a qualitative study on older Australian women who discuss their sexual lives and relationships. A copy of the full article can be download from https://theconversation.com/sex-desire-and-pleasure-in-later-life-australian-womens-experiences-35725

Street harassment is a common experience in the lives of women. Despite both anecdotal and research evidence confirming its prevalence and harm, it is rarely responded to by the criminal justice system. Activist websites, such as Hollaback, have emerged in recent years in response to this silence regarding street harassment. While the aim of these...

Despite the body being central to the experience of ageing, little attention has been paid to how relationships may mediate the experience of ageing bodies. This article considers older Australian women's accounts of their bodies and of embodied experiences in the context of both long-term and newly formed intimate relationships. Drawn from a broad...

Older age is often associated with asexuality. That is, older individuals are not viewed as desiring of sex, nor as sexually desirable to others. Broader social and cultural norms that downplay women’s sexual desire and agency further compound these phenomena. Whether this popular image accurately reflects older women’s sexual desires, behaviour an...

This article considers the role of space, place and identity in influencing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, intersex and queer (GLBTIQ) young adults’ experiences of unwanted sexual attention in licensed venues. It is argued in this article that the roles of space, place and identity are largely absent from theoretical understanding...

Recent research has highlighted the need to explore how specific social contexts influence the occurrence of sexual violence and sexually harassing behaviours. This article considers the occurrence of unwanted sexual attention towards young women within the social context of licensed venues in Melbourne, Victoria. Using focus group data from a smal...

This research study investigates how communication technologies facilitate sexual violence against young people and what challenges this presents for the Victorian criminal justice system. Based on interviews with young people and professionals working with young people, it examines the effects of technology on the lives of young people, the interf...