Child sexual assault rates rise in Australia — ABC News Australia
In Australia, the rate of sexual assaults against children, as well as assaults related to family and domestic violence, has increased significantly over the past decade. This is indicated by a University of Sydney study, ABC News reports.
Researchers analysed data on police-recorded victims, hospitalisations for injuries resulting from assaults, and information from the child protection system. The rate of sexual assaults against girls from birth to nine years old rose by 32% over ten years, while among girls aged 10 to 17 it increased by 51%.
Rates among teenage boys
Among boys aged 10 to 17, the rate of sexual assaults increased by 60% over the decade. Since 2021, this figure has risen by an average of 15.7% annually. The study’s lead author, Lucy Grammitt, said the sharpest increase was recorded over the past three to five years.
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According to her, possible factors may include growing income inequality, the COVID-19 pandemic, rising living costs, and changes in gender norms in the online environment. At the same time, the study found no increase in hospitalisations of children for injuries inflicted during assaults or in substantiated cases of child maltreatment in the child protection system.
Calls to strengthen prevention
The researchers noted that the discrepancy between these indicators raises questions about the reasons for the recorded increase and requires better data sharing and coordination between different sectors. Lucy Grammitt also expressed concern that the decline in the number of substantiated cases in the child protection system may be linked to its capacity rather than to a reduction in violence.
Child sexual exploitation expert Conrad Townson called the rate of increase alarming. The researchers urged Australia’s federal and state authorities to invest more in prevention and early detection of violence, including by implementing the recommendations of a rapid review of approaches to preventing violence.
