The hierarchy in our educational institutions and services often mirror societal attitudes towards power and whose voices are privileged or ignored. Historically, those with power feel uncomfortable when marginalised voices are heard. There is a lot at stake when power is threatened and new voices demand changes within society. This discussion…

This article reports on the findings of a quantitative online survey investigating Australian fathers' perspectives on communicating with their children about relationships and sexuality. A diverse sample of 612 Australian fathers of children aged 3 to 12 years completed the "Sex Ed Dads" survey, sharing their views on sexuality…

Fear of unmediated touch between adults and children has become a feature of life in Anglophone countries, including Australia. Previous research has shown that this fear has had an impact on interactions between adults and children, particularly in education and early years care contexts. To assess the extent to which these fears have influenced…

Objective: To examine whether notified child maltreatment is associated with adverse psychological outcomes in adolescence, and whether differing patterns of psychological outcome are seen depending on the type of maltreatment. Methods: The participants were 7,223 mother and child pairs enrolled in a population-based birth cohort study in…

Two hundred and twelve Australian mothers completed an online survey examining features of mother-child communication about child sexual abuse prevention. Two-thirds (67.5%) of respondents had discussed child sexual abuse prevention with their children, with proportions varying according to age range (highest for mothers with children aged 5-12…

This paper presents the results of a systematic review of literature on the topic of parents' views about child sexual abuse prevention education. It describes: i) what parents know about child sexual abuse prevention education; ii) what child sexual abuse prevention messages parents provide to their children and what topics they discuss; iii)…

The phenomenon of child sexual abuse has significant implications for teachers' pre-service training and professional development. Teachers have a pedagogical role in dealing with abused children, and a legal and professional duty to report suspected child sexual abuse. Teachers require support and training to develop the specialised knowledge and…

A study of 57 Australian children (ages 6-7) found that children who experienced a recurrent event were more accurate about details that remained constant across events in comparison with children who experienced the event only once. They also produced more responses to both free recall and to general questions. (CR)

Parents of 565 children aged 3-12 years were interviewed to find out what the parents told their children to protect them from sexual molestation. Three quarters of the parents told their children nothing, and most parents who thought they had given information had only given hints. (RJC)

Interviewed 194 Australian adult male survivors of sexual abuse. Found that victimization of boys is underrecognized and underreported, and that boys are not adequately protected by parents or child protection programs. Sexual curiosity, ignorance, sexualization of emotions, and lack of affection contribute to victimization and vulnerability.…

Provides an overview of the history of child maltreatment and the development of the public concern to protect children, focusing on efforts since the 1960s in Western societies, especially Australia, to protect children and prevent the occurrence of child maltreatment. Identifies cycles in the professional response to child abuse and neglect,…

Each chapter of this book contains a short story related to sex education, followed by comments on issues suggested by the story, and questions often asked by parents and children, with possible answers. An index of questions is also included at the end of the book to enable the reader to find particular information. Although the pictures and…

This booklet was written for educators and child care personnel who are uncertain about their roles in reporting suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. The guidelines contained in this document are intended to promote: (1) the development of school policies on child abuse and neglect; (2) the raising of awareness about the problem; (3) the…