- Mothers urge action on child-against-child sex abuse
- By Gavin Lower
- The Australian
- 18/10/2008 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
DIANNE thought she was doing the right thing when she picked up the phone to report what had happened at school to her little boy.
What she regarded as an isolated, though intensely disturbing, incident turned out to be more common than she could have imagined: Dianne's son had been confronted improperly by a fellow five-year-old in a school toilet.
The case has triggered impassioned debate over what is to be done about so-called "sexualised" intrusions on children, committed not by adults but by other youngsters.
Such incidents are becoming increasingly common, according to Freda Briggs, one of the nation's top experts on child protection. And, as Dianne's experience in South Australia demonstrates, it poses a dilemma for authorities.
This week, it emerged that the school her son attended had been the scene of 60 incidents of child sexualisation in the past three years, in which children imitated sex acts or attempted to perform a version of them on others.
The Weekend Australian understands that up to four children were involved in initiating the incidents at the school, less than an hour's drive from Adelaide.
These ranged from explicit swearing, to boys exposing themselves and performing a lewd form of "pole dancing", to inappropriate touching or rubbing.
When Dianne reported the incident to a child sex abuse helpline she says she was told nothing could be done because it involved children the same age. "That was a real kick in the guts," she said.
Dianne, who declined to be fully identified, remains baffled by the official response. "For you to send a child to school and for them to be interfered with in any way and not to investigate it, how safe is it to send your kids to school?" she said.
Emeritus Professor Briggs, of the University of South Australia, said the number of reports of sexual behaviour among children was rising across the country.
While few official figures are available about how many children in Australia engage in sexualised behaviour, a 1997 report by the Children's Protection Society in Victoria estimated that 20 per cent to 40 per cent of child sexual assaults were committed by perpetrators younger than 18.
Professor Briggs attributed the sexualisation of children to "a more highly explicit society than 10 years ago". "There's much more sex on television, (Children are) accessing the internet, some fathers think it's smart to show their children pornography," she said.
A spokesman for the South Australian Department of Families and Communities, which runs the child abuse report line, said calls were assessed on their merits. "If there is a reasonable suspicion of sexual abuse, the allegation is formally assessed by FamiliesSA staff for a response, which may include referral to police," he said.
South Australian Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith issued a statement saying she had been assured the regional school and district had dealt with the incidents immediately and appropriately but gave no details.
The school's principal did not return calls.
Dianne has since moved her son to another school.
What she regarded as an isolated, though intensely disturbing, incident turned out to be more common than she could have imagined: Dianne's son had been confronted improperly by a fellow five-year-old in a school toilet.
The case has triggered impassioned debate over what is to be done about so-called "sexualised" intrusions on children, committed not by adults but by other youngsters.
Such incidents are becoming increasingly common, according to Freda Briggs, one of the nation's top experts on child protection. And, as Dianne's experience in South Australia demonstrates, it poses a dilemma for authorities.
This week, it emerged that the school her son attended had been the scene of 60 incidents of child sexualisation in the past three years, in which children imitated sex acts or attempted to perform a version of them on others.
The Weekend Australian understands that up to four children were involved in initiating the incidents at the school, less than an hour's drive from Adelaide.
These ranged from explicit swearing, to boys exposing themselves and performing a lewd form of "pole dancing", to inappropriate touching or rubbing.
When Dianne reported the incident to a child sex abuse helpline she says she was told nothing could be done because it involved children the same age. "That was a real kick in the guts," she said.
Dianne, who declined to be fully identified, remains baffled by the official response. "For you to send a child to school and for them to be interfered with in any way and not to investigate it, how safe is it to send your kids to school?" she said.
Emeritus Professor Briggs, of the University of South Australia, said the number of reports of sexual behaviour among children was rising across the country.
While few official figures are available about how many children in Australia engage in sexualised behaviour, a 1997 report by the Children's Protection Society in Victoria estimated that 20 per cent to 40 per cent of child sexual assaults were committed by perpetrators younger than 18.
Professor Briggs attributed the sexualisation of children to "a more highly explicit society than 10 years ago". "There's much more sex on television, (Children are) accessing the internet, some fathers think it's smart to show their children pornography," she said.
A spokesman for the South Australian Department of Families and Communities, which runs the child abuse report line, said calls were assessed on their merits. "If there is a reasonable suspicion of sexual abuse, the allegation is formally assessed by FamiliesSA staff for a response, which may include referral to police," he said.
South Australian Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith issued a statement saying she had been assured the regional school and district had dealt with the incidents immediately and appropriately but gave no details.
The school's principal did not return calls.
Dianne has since moved her son to another school.
Source: https://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24512519-5006787,00.html
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