Deakin Criminologist Wendy O’Brien highlights problems in national responses to child on child sexual abuse
Data from schools across Australia reveals a concerning picture in which children as young as six are sexually assaulted by other children whilst at school. In a radio interview with the ABC, Deakin University Criminologist Dr Wendy O’Brien reports that a culture of denial and non-disclosure obscures the full extent this problem.
Speaking about the national study that she conducted for The Australian Crime Commission, Dr O’Brien identifies a shortage of specialised counselling services for children with these behaviours, noting that referrals exceed capacity at services across the country. Children with these behaviours have very often experienced trauma of some kind and specialised counselling is required in order to support them to adopt positive behaviours.
As Dr O’Brien explains:
“A uniform approach to accurate data collection is required so that we can properly quantify the service response required”.
Amongst the challenges in ensuring that children receive the support that they need is the confusion adults experience when they first observe a child’s behaviours. Parents and teachers require education as to when and how they should refer children for counselling. Dr O’Brien reports that it is crucial that children receive specialised counselling early to prevent behaviours from escalating and resulting in criminal charges.
To listen to Dr O’Brien’s interview on ABC PM Radio click here.
To read an article published by the ABC on 3 June 2014 calling for action on this issue click here.