eSafeKids

I started this week delivering an online webinar for Monash Council in Victoria. It was fantastic to start National Child Protection Week 2024 supporting the Council's commitment to being a child safe organisation. eSafeKids is based in Perth, Western Australia but we deliver webinars nationally and internationally - get in touch if I can assist your organisation. Learn More: www.esafekids.com.au #NCPW #NCPW24 #EveryConversationMatters #NationalChildProtectionWeek2024 #ChildProtectionWeek2024 #KeepingKidsSafe

Parents, carers, educators and other professionals play a key role in supporting children to develop the social, emotional, relational and technical skills needed to have safe, positive, respectful and secure online experiences. There is also a role for technology companies. For too long technology companies have not carried the responsibility of protecting children from online harms and for managing and mitigating the serious real-world consequences that are impacting the health, wellbeing and personal safety of children and young people. The current situation is untenable and can’t continue.

Child sex offenders live and work amongst us, many are hiding in plain sight. A 54-year-old Gold Coast school principal has been charged with child exploitation offences. The man allegedly used encrypted messaging devices to groom children for sexual activity in the Philippines. Australians have ranked the third-highest customers in both volume and value of online sexual exploitation of children related transactions to the Philippines since 2015. Australian offenders paid $1.3 million across 9,000 transactions to procure child sexual abuse from the Philippines between 2020 - 2022. Australian men with sexual feelings towards children who have offended against children are: ☑️ More likely to be married, caucasian, heterosexual, living in suburbia, have strong social networks and relatively wealthy. ☑️ Almost 3 times more likely to work with children. ☑️ Significantly more likely to use encrypted apps and privacy services. ☑️ Over 16 times more likely to purchase sexual content online. Source: Identifying and understanding child sexual offending behaviour and attitudes among Australian men, 2023 Michael Salter

By weight of numbers alone, the Christian Brothers have possibly the worst record of abuse in Australia, and one of the worst worldwide. They are still active in Western Australia - what are they hiding, who are they protecting? The Western Australian Community Development and Justice Standing Committee has found The Christian Brothers did not cooperate with this inquiry for reasons that are not credible. The Christian Brothers featured heavily in the shocking findings of the Royal Commission. If the Christian Brothers were genuine in their statements of concern for victims of abuse, they would have fully cooperated with the Committee to improve victim outcomes. The Christian Brothers’ failure to cooperate makes it difficult not to conclude that they are simply trying to hide information and avoid public scrutiny of the abuse of children under their care, putting the needs of their organisation and limiting their financial liability above the needs of survivors. So far the Christian Brothers have been the defendant in 778 claims for compensation for child sexual abuse in WA across their schools and institutions, and 41 claims are yet to be resolved. These numbers do not include victims who have chosen to seek compensation through the National Redress Scheme. The Christian Brothers declined to provide any information about the abusers as requested by the Committee including how many, if any, of the Brothers had been referred to the Police for investigation.

There may be times when we feel powerless to prevent child abuse, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest it. I do this work for those who are currently being abused, those that will be abused and to honour the victim survivors who are still with us, and those who aren't. We have a collective responsibility to protect children from harm, now and into the future.

👏 Well done to Journalist Steve Zemek, finally we're not seeing things like, "sexual relationship with ..." I'm hoping the same reporting would occur if this was a male victim survivor. If you've been following me for a while you'll know I've been calling out the media for nearly a decade because their reporting has often stigmatised, minimised and misrepresented the experiences of victim survivors of child sexual abuse. I've shared these before but I'll share them again; ⭐️ Reporting On Child Sexual Abuse: Guidance For Media ⭐️ Engaging With Media About Child Sexual Abuse: For Victims and Survivors The guidance encourages reporting that raises community awareness of child sexual abuse, reduces stigma, and empowers victims and survivors when they share their personal experiences with the media. It includes advice on how to develop and frame stories appropriately, language and terminology to use and avoid, and sensitivities to consider when engaging with victims and survivors. Link: https://lnkd.in/giwGVVFS

I was grateful to be invited to the WA Child Sexual Abuse Therapeutic Services and Indigenous Healing Services 2024 Roundtable. It was fantastic to catch up with so many professionals I’ve provided training to over the years. The highlight was listening to Grace Tame in conversation with Louise Lamont from Phoenix Support and Advocacy Service.

Do these statistics shock you? This is Australian men, in Australian homes and work places meeting Filipino facilitators online who arrange for children to be sexually abused live on camera. Not my children, not your children, but children nonetheless. A study by the International Justice Mission found 18% of all online child sexual abuse and exploitation cases in the Philippines come from Australia. That puts Australia behind only America and one other country, which is shocking when you consider our population size. Sexually motivated offenders spend time in all the places and spaces our children spend time online. There's a range of child friendly books and resources on the eSafeKids website to support education and conversation. Link: www.esafekids.com.au/shop

For some people, talking or thinking about child sexual abuse, or anything related to child abuse, can be uncomfortable and challenging. It can be helpful to remember that we are seeking to understand the issues so that we can better respond to it and prevent it. It’s predictable, so it’s preventable. I often say the more light we shine on child sexual abuse the less places those that harm children have to hide. "I will recover loudly so others don’t die silently. I will talk about these things so maybe someone else won't wait 40 years to talk. I have a voice in here [in parliament] and I will use it to give a voice to those who aren't yet brave enough to." Labor Member for Macalister Melissa McMahon told Queensland parliament she had been "chased by demons" since being "repeatedly raped and abused" as a child. Thank you to Melissa and all the courageous victim-survivors who share their experiences. Society failed to protect, believe and respond justly to you, I refuse to allow that to continue. Melissa McMahon

While the public discourse about age verification for social media and pornography sites continues, we cannot ignore the importance of age and developmentally appropriate education and conversation. Children and young people’s exposure to harmful content online is not marginal, it’s mainstream. The ubiquity of the internet and portable electronic devices has transformed the way pornography is accessed and how pornography accesses children. Consequently, children and young are growing up in a world where it’s impossible to avoid sexualised media and pornography, and they’re often navigating this alone. Knowing that it is not always easy for adults to talk about these topics I love supporting parents of primary school aged children. You can learn more on the eSafeKids website.