Study Finds Child Sex Abuse Education Is Key, by Rachel Carbonell, ABC Sydney, September 6, 2011

Study Finds Child Sex Abuse Education Is Key

By Rachel Carbonell
ABC Sydney
September 6, 2011

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-06/study-finds-child-sex-abuse-education-is-key/2873278/?site=sydney

The Bravehearts education program uses a live musical performance to get the message across to children aged three to eight.

One of Australia's peak anti-child sex abuse organisations says it has new research which shows educating children about sexual assault is one of the most effective ways of preventing it.

Bravehearts says an analysis of more than 500 of its clients shows a direct link between the education program it runs in schools and a spike in the number of reports it receives about the sexual assault of children.

Executive director Hetty Johnston says the results show education of young children can make a big difference.

"We're getting between four and eight disclosures directly to Bravehearts as a direct result of going into the schools and delivering our education program," she said.

"So the program goes into the school and within days - sometimes a week, sometimes a little bit longer - we get these disclosures coming."

The Bravehearts education program uses a live musical performance to get the message across to children aged three to eight.

It has been delivered to thousands of primary school children in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

"The message is simply about their private parts - 'no-one else to touch, no-one else to see, they belong to me'," she said.

"This message is repeated, repeated, repeated. You can almost see the penny dropping in these children.

"What we do know is even though the offenders are very known and trusted and even loved by the children, children are disclosing."

The program has some government funding but otherwise relies on community support and fundraising.

Ms Johnston would like to see it rolled out across the country and says it could halve the incidence of child abuse in Australia and save millions of dollars in the long term.

"If we reduce the incidence of child sexual assault, if we work with these children, we're going to reduce the incidence. And as a result of that we will reduce the incidence of youth suicide, of depression, all other kinds of mental health, drinking, alcoholism, drug abuse, crime," she said.

"Research tells us that it's costing us billions of dollars every year to mop up the carnage of child sexual assault.

"Every time a child is sexually assaulted ... there's a conservative estimate of $180,000 that it costs us."

Chief executive of the Australian Childhood Foundation Dr Joe Tucci says such programs are valuable, but they are likely to identify child sex abuse rather than prevent it.

"Prevention itself ... has to be targeted at adults. It has to be targeted at increasing adults' commitment to protecting children," he said.

Ms Johnston says Bravehearts is not promoting child education as the sole strategy, but one to be used in conjunction with others including educating adults and dealing with offenders effectively.