Running a Half-Marathon for Wellington Rape Crisis

I'm running the Half-Marathon in Round the Bays 2025 for Wellington Rape Crisis.

In 2023, the Ministry of Justice estimated that over one in four New Zealanders - and one in three women - had experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. They also found that almost 5% of people aged 15 - 29, and 14% of gender diverse people, had been sexually assaulted in the past year.

The impacts of sexual assault are immense. Victims are significantly more likely to experience a multitude of physical health conditions, including sexually transmitted diseases, chronic pain, and asthma to name a few. Additionally, sexual assault has been correlated with many mental health challenges, such as PTSD, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse disorders and anxiety.

Early intervention is crucial for survivors. Multiple government studies have found that access to counselling and other external support services can have a significant impact on recovery outcomes.

Wellington Rape Crisis is a community support organisation that provides many free support services to victims of sexual assault, including counselling, social work, a court support service, and group therapy. They also provide prevention education to organisations and schools around the country. A donation to them, no matter how small, can make a meaningful difference.