Abuse fight trust lacking
A CAIRNS community’s lack of trust in government is creating challenges for those trying to identify ways to eliminate localised child sexual abuse.
Many Cairns West locals are still reeling from the findings of the now infamous Smallbone Report, which was made public in March this year.
The review sent shockwaves throughout the Far North after it showed a generation of children were both victims and perpetrators of “normalised’’ sexual abuse and a sex trade in Cairns’ western suburbs, as well as the western Cape York town of Aurukun.
Yesterday outside the Mooroobool Hub, two representatives from a specialist taskforce formed in response to the original report met Treasurer Curtis Pitt.
They provided him with an interim report containing some ways governments could work to better the lives of atrisk youth at Cairns West and Aurukun. Speaking at the meeting, Cairns West Youth Sexual Violence and Abuse Steering Committee member Rowena Bullio said a lack of trust in government among locals was challenging at times.
“With the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in Cairns West in general, basically the level of pessimism is quite evident,” she said. “There have been reports after reports and changes of governments so (they think) why should this be any different?
“Yes, it’s still a challenge, and we’re working together in this co-ordinated way with all steering committee members across the board to speak in the community.”
Cairns West community elder Dianne Daniels said she was shocked, but not surprised, when the Smallbone Report was released in March.
“You see the youth walking in the community. Their faces tell the story about what’s going on,” she said.
“What I mean is there are problems within the home itself and within the wider community.
“At the end of the day you need these federal and state government ministers to come out from behind their desks into the community to see first hand what’s happening ... I’m glad the government is aware of what’s been happening in Cairns West.”
Mrs Daniels said strong leadership from within the Cairns West community was needed to overcome the problems it was facing.
“We need more role models,” she said. “We need to build that trust with federal and state governments.”