Media Releases
Alarming child sexual abuse costs urge parents to 'Wise Up
Alarming child sexual abuse costs urge parents to "Wise Up"
o 177,000 Australian children abused or neglected, but could be as high as 666,000[1]
o Actual cost of child abuse to Australian community is $10.7 billion, but could be as high as $30.1 billion1
o Child sexual abuse found to be the key factor in youth homelessness[2]
o 50-70% of youth living in Supported Accommodation Assistance Programs have been sexually assaulted2
o Child Sexual Abuse victims account for 34% of presentation in the mental health sector[3]
o At least 60% of young people in adolescent psychiatric units were sexually assaulted as children[4]
o 70% of prostitutes were sexually assaulted as children[5]
o 70-80% of those sexually assaulted as children report excessive drug and alcohol use[6]
The remarkable human and social cost of child molestation and rape in Australia has urged Child Wise, Australia's leading international child protection charity to launch a national campaign entitled ‘WISE UP' today.
95% of child sexual assaults are committed by someone a child and their carer know. The initiative aims to educate Australians about the signs to look for when a child is being ‘groomed' by a paedophile for the type of abuse that can destroy their life and of those around them.
A CSA TV ad created about the Foster Family who had 3 daughters, 2 of whom were repeatedly sexually abused as primary school children by a Parish Priest over a number of years, will air this week. As a result of the abuse, the Fosters lost one daughter to suicide last year, and the other requires care 24/7 due to head injuries suffered in an alcohol related accident.
Bernadette McMenamin, CEO, Child Wise, says, "The Fosters tell a tragic and very moving story because they are an average, middle class family who believed that they were doing their best to protect their children and bring them up in a ‘safe' environment.
"They did not understand the ‘indicators' of child sexual abuse, and their family and lives are destroyed because of this abuse - an abuse that they did not know was happening. Their harrowing story will bring home to many the message that child sexual abuse can happen to the most normal of families, and that it ‘can' happen to them. We want to encourage them to know the signs and help put an end to this epidemic."
In addition to the TVC campaign and ‘Wise Up' educational booklet, which will be made available online and widely in the community through schools and community centres, Christine Foster has written a book entitled "Paedophile: Stay the hell away from our children".
This hard hitting and eye opening must-read for every parent or carer provides a first time heart wrenching account of the signs she missed when her daughters were being abused. The book is intended to inform and encourage a desire to learn further, and for parents to delve into this sickening subject to gain the upper hand of knowledge, which will enable them to better protect their child from sexual abuse. As with the Wise Up booklet and other educational materials, Mrs. Foster's book can be downloaded from www.childwise.net.
The organisation also runs the only National Child Abuse Prevention Line (Freecall 1800 99 10 99) service in Australia that offers telephone and web based support for victims and families of child sexual abuse, as well as solution-focused help for individuals and organisations to identify and respond to child abuse. Professional counselors provide free immediate advice, referral to appropriate services, short-term crisis counselling, and other support.
Would you know what to look for if a child was being sexually abused? Find out more by visiting www.childwise.net
For media enquiries, for an interview with Bernadette McMenamin/Karen Flanagan and/or Christine and Anthony Foster, please contact Sharon Zeev Poole on 0401 811 930
or e-mail sharon@agent99pr.com
[1] Taylor et al., 2008
[2] van Loon & Kralik, 2005b
[3] NSW Health (1998)
[4] Nursing Staff Melbourne psych unit 1997
[5] Sheila Jeffreys interview by Helen Elliott The Herald Sun Oct 24th 1997
[6] Child Wise Speak Up 2007