Page 796 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 2018
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Focusing only on the role of parents will, of course, not prevent child sexual abuse. We need a systematic approach that encompasses all areas of life and all contexts in which children live and play. We need a systematic approach that educates the community more broadly about the prevalence of abuse against children and signs to alert caregivers and others that this may be an issue.
In examining the data provided by the ABS people safety survey, it is worth noting that the most common age for children to experience sexual abuse is between 5 and 9 years old, followed closely by the 10 to 14-year-old age group. This underlines the fact that information needs to be available through all stages of a child’s life, including into high school.
Schools have a role to not only provide evidence-based social and emotional learning and a whole-school approach to respectful relationships education, but to respond appropriately to disclosures of such abuse and contribute to attitudinal change. I am pleased that the ACT government is committed to continuing such education in our schools.
Schools, whether they are government or non-government schools, need policies and procedures about responding to allegations and disclosures that are properly implemented and that keep pace with technological advances to keep children safe online as well as in person. The Greens have been pleased to support a range of legislative amendments in this area, including the recent amendments in the Crimes Legislation Amendment Act 2018, to expand child grooming offences so that only evidence of a sexual relationship needs to be proven, and to exclude good character as a mitigating factor in sentencing for child sexual abuse offences where that good character “enabled” the offence.
I note that just this week the ACT signed up to the commonwealth redress scheme, which will contribute to access to justice for survivors of child sexual abuse, which is a pleasing development for this jurisdiction. I know that this is only one response to the work of the royal commission and that the attorney is committed to progressing recommendations applicable to the ACT arising from the royal commission. But I welcome the ACT being one of the jurisdictions to indicate early support for the scheme. I think this is having an impact on how the commonwealth is approaching it; I think this will strengthen the scheme; and I think that the ACT indicating its support is very important in moving this forward and indicating to the institutions our expectation of their significant involvement as well. I welcome the ACT’s early indication to support that.
I note also that there has been a consultation process by way of a discussion paper about the reportable conduct scheme in the ACT. That consultation closed just last week. This is designed to extend the scope of the scheme to help organisations become more child safe and more child friendly. The reportable conduct scheme exists in addition to working with vulnerable people checks and mandatory reporting to child protection services by professions including teachers, psychologists, health professionals and social workers.
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