Efforts to Help Children at Risk in Australia

Sexual abuse can be hard to define because of the many different forms it can take on, the different levels of frequency, the variation of circumstances that can occur. Until a child is fit to function as a self-supporting and informed adult, we have an obligation not to take advantage of their lack of power or protection to inflict damage, or demand submission to acts that are not in their own best interests within. Children are being abused every day in different countries. While commonly accepted wisdom had been that childhood sexual abuse results in long lasting negative outcomes.

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse, this also includes via the internet. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males, Women and other children can also commit acts of sexual abuse. This type of abuse is usually committed by someone known to the victim not just by sexual predators. It is important to remember that boys as well as girls can also be the victim of sexual abuse. The signs of sexual abuse as with emotional abuse may not be outwardly visible, because of the shame and self-blame a child will have if this is happening or has happened to them, makes it very difficult for a child

Neglect is the failure to meet a child’s basic physical and or psychological needs, which is likely to affect the child’s health or development. Neglect is when a parent or carer fails to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment), medical care, or protection from physical and emotional harm or danger. Additionally failure to ensure access to education or to look after a child because the carer is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, is considered as Neglect.

Sexual abuse is the forced and undesired sexual behaviour from one person onto another and/or sexual activity that can be deemed as inappropriate and/or harmful

Sexual Abuse: forcing a child to do something sexual unwillingly. This is a physical sexual act that child are oblivious to, and not realise what is going on. Children do not have to physically have contact with a person sexually to underline sexual abuse; a child forced to watch or see sexual nature or persuade a child to act unsuitable. Signs and symptoms:

Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: â—• provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); â—• protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; â—• ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care- givers); or â—• ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a childâ€TMs basic emotional

Sexual abuse is, also referred to as molestation, it is usually undesired sexual behaviour by one person upon another. When force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. This does not have to include touching the genitalia, it can also be non-touching activities such as making either a child or an adult watch pornography or taking photos of them whilst naked without their consent. Examples of sexual abuse are involving touching part of the genitals against their will. Also it can be forcing them to expose their body parts when they don’t want to.

Sexual abuse is any type of non-consensual contact which an adult cannot or hasn’t consented to or has been put under pressure to do so. It can include a person touching your private parts or making you touch theirs. Forcing a person to perform sexual acts on them or receive them which can then result in rape. Situations that make a person feel uncomfortable, for example making sexual comments, making a person watch pornography videos or rubbing their body against theirs.

Sexual abuse is a prevalent crime that can have numerous short and long term effects on a victim. It describes as any form sexual activity that is accomplished by force or threat where consent is not given. This includes rape, molestation, incest, and other similar forms of non-consensual sexual contact. The effects of sexual abuse are not the same for every victim, victims may feel varied responses and emotions that can depend on own situations. The act of abuse may had happened a long time ago or be more recent.

This framework came about as a result of the increase in child maltreatment and neglect report in 2007-08. This report triggered the Rudd Government to propose this National Framework in 2008. The purpose of this was to provide early intervention programs, improved information-sharing between the territories and states, and better support for children in care and their relatives and it was inaugurated in 2009 by the Council of Australian Government (COAG). The National Framework for protecting Australia’s Children gives

Physical/Emotional neglect is the failure to provide a child with basic needs, including adequate food, shelter, clothing, or necessary medical care. Neglect also exist when an adult fails to provide adequate supervision of a child as when a child is left either unsupervised or in the care of someone unable to supervise the child. Furthermore, neglect occurs when a person creates a substantial risk of physical injury to a child by other than accidental means which would be likely to cause death, disfigurement, impairment of physical or emotional health, or loss or impairment of any bodily function

In early 2000 an 8 year old girl, Victoria Climbié, died following abuse and neglect from her great-aunt, and her Aunt’s partner Carl Manning. In August 2007, a 17-month-old boy, Peter Connelly, died following abuse by his mother and two men who were living in their house. These two tragic deaths resulted in extensive public inquiries and major changes were made to the child protection laws.

An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today (Darness2Light, 2009a ). This figure continues to grow daily as perpetrators of this crime continue in this destructive path. The definition of child sexual abuse is the force, coercion, or cajoling of children into sexual activities by a dominant adult or adolescent. Sexual abuse of children includes touching (physical) sexually including: fondling; penetration (vaginal or anal using fingers, foreign objects or offenders organs; oral sex, or non-physical contact including: sexual comments; indecent exposures; masturbating in a child’s presence; child prostitution or child pornography (Child Welfare, 2009a).

Sexual abuse covers penetrative sexual acts, sexual touching, masturbation and the misuse of sexual images – such as on the internet or by mobile phone.

In addition to various professional settings that require different definitions, the context or motivations involved also make this a complicated phrase to define.(Haugaard, 2000). Although there is some ambiguity when defining child sexual abuse and the severity of the abuse it goes without saying that this has become a major problem regardless of how it is loosely defined. This paper will not go into this debate, rather it will focus on the definition of child sexual abuse that can be recognized within the clinical setting. For the purpose of this paper child sexual abuse will refer to any behaviors that exploit children in a sexual manner. These behaviors include but are not limited to fondling of the child, coerced masturbation, sexual kissing, exposure to pornography and sexual intercourse. When adults use their authority to manipulate children into performing or engaging in these behaviors it is considered sexual exploitation and abuse. It does not matter if the child “consents” or argues they enjoyed it because they are not cognitively able to make this decision. In order to protect children from being exploited by sexual offenders prevention programs must be implemented. These programs must educate parents and children about sexual abuse to