Canberra's leading victims of crime advocate has called for controversial anti-rape posters to be put back up in ACT government offices after complaints from some older male workers led to them being removed.
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ACT Victims of Crime commissioner John Hinchey hoped mixed reactions to the posters, which aimed to educate young men about sexual assault, would prompt a wider conversation among men on their attitudes towards women.
The comic book-style posters were targeted at young men and put up in male toilets at licensed venues and in some government directorates as part of the capital's annual Summer of Respect campaign against sexual violence.
The campaign has been run by the Women's Centre for Health Matters and Canberra Rape Crisis Centre since 2011 and seeks to prompt discussions about consent and respect.
The posters were taken down in some workplaces because they were not considered "to be appropriate in all workplaces for all male workers of all ages", a territory government spokeswoman said.
Women's Centre for Health Matters executive director Marcia Williams said some older men felt the posters were confronting and said their reaction showed the need for a culture shift when it came to discussions within the community about sexual violence.
Mr Hinchey agreed the response was indicative that sexual assault was "something we find difficult to talk about".
"The posters were trying to encourage men to speak up and challenge those underlying attitudes and beliefs that lead to the abuse of women.
"I ask that the posters that were removed from ACT workplaces are returned and that the men in those workplaces have a good look at them and decide if the cost of offending someone outweighs the benefits of challenging us not to be silent about sexual abuse."
One of the images shows a woman passed out on a bed as a man says: "She didn't say it, but I can tell she wants it."
The slogan below reads: "If she's drunk, on drugs, or passed out, he doesn't have permission. Tell him."
Another depicts a man holding up a phone with an image of a bare-breasted woman on it as a caution on "sexting", while another says consent for sex can't be bought.
Mr Hinchey acknowledged the posters were targeted at a younger audience but said sexual violence against women was a men's issue.
"We're inviting those directorates and those workplaces to make those posters available again.
"We have to respect people's sensibilities and forcing people to put the posters back up is not what I'm suggesting. Let's respect that, but let's find another way of doing it.
"I'm suggesting those workforces who decided not to display the posters invite the men to discuss whether the posters are effective in raising a conversation about attitudes and beliefs towards women."
Sexual and domestic violence were taboo subjects and talking about them shifted the sense of secrecy around them, Mr Hinchey said.
"Rather than shutting the conversation down completely by removing the posters, let's have the conversation.
"Let's have some self-inspection of our own values and beliefs about women and let's enter into conversations with our mates and colleagues about our values and beliefs towards women."
"We're not saying that all men do this, but we're putting the blame for sexual assault against women squarely where it belongs and that's with men.
An ACT Government spokesman said all directorates had the option to display the posters as they found appropriate.
She said the government supported many programs that promoted awareness of sexual violence and respect by providing direct funding and raising awareness within the public service.
