Dr Sawrikar is an independent research consultant specialising in gender and race equity. She has over 20 years of experience as an academic working at the Department of Psychology at The University of Sydney (2000-2005), Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales (2005-2014), and School of Human Services and Social Work at Griffith University (2010-2020). Her PhD was in Psychology (2004) and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social Work/Social Policy (2007-2010). She has taught over 10,000 students Psychology and Research Methods, conducted commissioned research for Australian governments and inter/national NGOs, helped attract $4m+ external funding, served as a journal editor, and invited to 10 keynote addresses. Her research areas and 60+ publications cover racism, sexism, child protection, domestic violence, culturally appropriate service delivery, culture, migration, mental illness, and social cognition. Currently, she is the Founder and Director of Scholar Freedom designed to redress inequity in academic publishing. She can be contacted at p.sawrikar@promotingwomeninacademia.com.

I strive to use my class, heteronormativity, and able-bodied privileges responsibly. This project aims to engage with people who also wish to use their privileges responsibly, especially white and male privilege.

If you are contacting me to disclose child sexual abuse for either yourself or a child you know (< 18 years old), please note:

• I am NOT a mandatory reporter. By law, I do not need to tell a child protection authority (assuming you have not already done so). However, there may be some circumstances where it is warranted.

• Not all children who are sexually abused are removed from their home – many factors are taken into consideration before such a decision is made.

• After a child protection worker makes an assessment, one of their recommendations may be to take up counselling services for the child as well as family therapy (with non-offending members) to address the impact of the child’s trauma on all people who care for them.

• Individual counselling and family therapy may be beneficial but are not the only strategies available. Self-help strategies can include reading relevant books, accessing online resources, playing an instrument, gardening, getting a pet, and writing a memoir. You are encouraged to do what is best for you – your well-being is important and worth investing in.

• By law, counselling, family therapy, and interpreter services are CONFIDENTIAL – no one in your community will know if you have accessed these unless you tell them yourself.

• I am an academic/researcher - NOT a qualified practitioner (e.g. counsellor, social worker, psychologist) - so I will refer you to the service organisations identified under Accredited Service Providers if this is what you are seeking.

Please kindly note that invitations to speak in person will be considered on a case-by-case basis but may need to be declined due to the re-triggering of the multiple traumas of racism and sexism. The online program has mostly been prepared for this reason – to help mitigate risk to personal health/well-being. The program is recorded as if face-to-face to provide an ‘in person’ feeling. This article may also be helpful for understanding the further pain victims of social injustices feel when they additionally become responsible for the feelings of those who experience less injustice.