Tame, Feds team up
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO TACKLE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
TASMANIA’S Grace Tame has joined forces with Australian Federal Police in a campaign to remove the stigma of reporting child sexual abuse and return some power from perpetrators to victims.
The Australian of the Year and Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews will launch the campaign on Thursday to spark a national conversation about child sexual abuse.
The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation will lead the Stop the Stigma initiative, which is supported by Uber.
The campaign comes as the number of charges laid by specialist child protection police more than doubled in 2020-21 and Kids Helpline reports a 40 per cent surge in cases of child sexual abuse in the first six months of this year.
This week the AFP charged a school employee in Tasmania’s North West with more than 30 child exploitation offences. The 31-yearold, from Somerset, will face court on September 14.
The Stop the Stigma partnership involves the AFP,
Ms Tame, the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, Carly Ryan Foundation, Bravehearts, YourTown (Kid’s helpline) and Act for Kids.
Recognised as Australian of the Year in January for her successful fight to overturn a Tasmanian law that gagged rape victims speaking publicly about their experiences, Ms Tame said every voice mattered.
“Discussion of child sexual abuse can be uncomfortable but so too is talking about suicide and domestic violence,” she said.
“Now we talk about preventing suicide and domestic violence regularly, and it has greatly benefited society because it has driven new laws and more funding to support those who need it.
“We need to talk about child sexual abuse, too.
“So let us redirect this discomfort to where it belongs: at the feet of perpetrators of these crimes.
“Perpetrators silence.”
ACCCE research has shown that 21 per cent of parents and carers say child sexual abuse is too confrontational to think about – thrive on and more than one in 10 parents would be too embarrassed to talk about it if their child was exploited.
Ms Andrews said keeping children safe online and offline was a priority for the federal government.
“Keeping children safe from sexual exploitation shouldn’t be embarrassing or shameful – we all have a part to play in this important conversation,’’ the minister said.
Anyone aware of inappropriate behaviour towards children should report it to ACCCE.gov.au/report