Sexual assault and violence against Australian children rising sharply

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 21:32 · Archive

Sexual assault against Australian children increased by 51 to 60 per cent over a decade, University of Sydney researchers found.

A University of Sydney study published on Wednesday found sexual assault and family-violence-related assault involving children increased sharply between 2014 and 2024, with the rates rising particularly in the past three to five years. Lead author Lucy Grummitt told AAP: 'We are at a crisis point now in Australia. What we expected to find was children were generally safer, but that's sort of the opposite of what we found.'

The study found sexual assault against boys aged 10 to 17 had increased by 60 per cent over the decade, with a near 16 per cent spike in one year alone. Girls in the same age group were victims of sexual violence with a total 51 per cent rise across the ten years. For family-violence-related assault, rates for boys aged zero to nine grew by 57 per cent.

Dr Grummitt said the study did not identify perpetrators but cited possible causes including the lingering impacts of the pandemic, cost-of-living pressures, changing online gender norms and increased reporting of violence. She explained older children had more exposure to violence than younger cohorts because of who they could be coming into contact with in the community.

The same ten-year period saw no significant change in hospitalisations for assault-related injuries among children, and no rise in substantiated child maltreatment cases through the child protection system. The paper used child protection, morbidity and victims data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

How it is being reported

• Violence and sexual harm of Australian children risingA national abuse crisis is brewing, with a study showing a new generation of boys and girls are becoming victims of physical violence and sexual harm.Perth Now · 13 Oct, 21:01
• Violence and sexual harm of Australian children risingA national abuse crisis is brewing, with a study showing a new generation of boys and girls are becoming victims of physical violence and sexual harm.The West Australian · 13 Oct, 21:01

In this story: University of Sydney · Lucy Grummitt · Australia

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