General
NT anti-discrimination commissioner says sexual assaults reported in Joan Ridley Unit
Vulnerable women in the Northern Territory’s most secure mental health unit are reporting being sexually assaulted, one year after the watchdog called for action on looming dangers in the facility.
Key points:
- The JRU is designed for people with acute psychiatric problems
- NT Health said in 2019-20, 285 incidents were reported at the JRU
- A spokesman would not say how many sexual assaults had been reported
Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sally Sievers says day-to-day safety concerns remain for people in the Joan Ridley Unit (JRU) at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), where women and children experiencing mental illness are held alongside men as well as male prisoners and prison guards.
Ms Sievers said problems in the unit needed “immediate…
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