Shocked, sad, uncomfortable
“Shocked, sad, uncomfortable – all of these emotions and reactions are certainly true for me when hearing the experiences of those who have experienced sexual abuse by a family member. But I also have great admiration for the courage shown, courage which I think ultimately we as a society should emulate.
We need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable - to being open to discussion on this most unsettling of subjects and most importantly ask ourselves what can we do to prevent, educate and support. This is not a historical issue, it is happening today… surely doing nothing is not an option.”
A pandemic within a pandemic
As COVID-19 cases have surged across the nation, so too has sexual abuse & sexual assault of children and young people.
Kids Helpline reports an increase of nearly 50% (49%) nationally in sexual abuse by family members over the past 6 months 1st January 2021 to 30th June 2021 when compared to the same period in 2020 from young people making contact with counsellors.
Kids Helpline answered 210 additional contacts in the first six months of 2021 (a total of 662) from children and young people raising the issue of being sexually exploited by family members. A total of 452 contacts were responded to in the same time period in 2020.
Child sexual abuse can take place behind closed doors. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected daily life through restrictions on people’s movements and interactions, potentially limiting opportunities for child abuse to be detected and reported.
Below is a Kids Helpline breakdown by State of Sexual Abuse (intra-familial abuse/Incest) and Sexual Assault (classified as being external to the family) for the period 1st January to 30th June 2021 vs the same period in 2020:
Victoria has had an increase of 70% in contacts from children and young people making contact with counsellors about sexual abuse (intra-familial abuse) and an increase of 19% for reports of sexual assault (classified as being external to the family)
New South Wales has had an increase of 49% in contacts from children and young people making contact with counsellors about sexual abuse and an increase of 43% for reports of sexual assault
Queensland has had an increase of 30% in contacts from children and young people making contact with counsellors about sexual abuse and an increase of 37% for reports of sexual assault
For more information regarding these statistics please contact:
yourtown Media Advisor – Maree Reason-Cain
E: mreason-cain@yourtown.com.au | M: 0423 843 786