Queensland University of Technology study finds finds one in four kids experience sexual abuse
The horrific reality of growing up in Australia is exposed: a new study finds one in four children are sexually assaulted
- New research highlights the need for a child safety strategy
- Australian Human Rights Commission said study was ‘confrontational’
Urgent government action is needed after a study found that physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children is “disturbingly common” across the country, according to Australia’s Human Rights Commission.
One in three Australian children experience physical abuse and one in four experience sexual abuse, a survey of 8,500 Australians by the Queensland University of Technology found.
The findings, published Monday in the Medical Journal of Australia, are “confrontational” and highlight the urgent need for a strategy for child welfare, said Anne Hollands, the National Children’s Commissioner.
“We have no reporting on budget allocations for child welfare. We don’t have a minister for children. We have no vision and we have had no urgency for change,” she said in a statement.
“In a prosperous country like Australia, the well-being of children should be a twofold priority. Today we have a rare opportunity to secure a national agreement to prioritize child welfare and establish a roadmap for reform.”
Anne Hollands, the National Children’s Commissioner (pictured), said the new report highlighted the urgent need for a government strategy
Federal Social Affairs Secretary Amanda Rishworth and Attorney General Mark Dreyfus vowed to look carefully at the findings as they develop more targeted politics.
“This is a wake-up call for all of us, at all levels of government and community. We need to do better,” the couple said in a statement.
“This groundbreaking study, the first high-quality, nationally representative study of the prevalence of all five forms of child maltreatment, should focus our attention on prevention of and response to child maltreatment.”
QUT’s Professor Ben Matthews led the study and said child maltreatment has long-term effects, including an increased likelihood of mental disorders and risky behaviour.
He cited emotional abuse and exposure to domestic violence as the most common, while sexual abuse by some types of offenders has also increased.
“A major concern is the increase in sexual abuse by known adolescents, the group that inflicts the largest share of all sexual abuse cases,” Professor Matthews said in a statement.
Child victims were nearly three times more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder, severe alcohol use disorder, and major depressive disorder.
They are also nearly five times more likely to suffer from PTSD, with girls being particularly vulnerable to emotional abuse and mental health disorders.
More than 37 percent of girls experience sexual abuse, which is twice as many as boys.
About 30 percent of 16-24 year old participants also self-harm, including about two in five women and one in five men.
Nearly one in four children experience three to five forms of maltreatment, influenced by parental risk factors such as alcohol and substance abuse, and psychological problems.
Professor Matthews said sexual and emotional abuse have devastating, long-term, cascading effects on victims’ mental health.
“Sexual abuse and emotional abuse were most strongly associated with mental disorders and health risk behaviors, making these two forms of abuse key targets for intensified national prevention and early intervention policies,” he said.
“Child abuse is a major contributor to our national crisis of youth self-harm and suicide attempts.”