Child Abuse

'Worryingly poor' understanding of child sex abuse - Local News - News - General - The Canberra Times

A survey has revealed that the average Australian has limited knowledge of abuse and the circumstances in which it occurs, a finding the Melbourne researchers say could explain why so few court cases result in a conviction.

I think this is true. We all care about it and want to do something about it. Part of the problem is that families cannot deal with it. We haven't found a way of getting those sorts of conversations going in families so that they can bring it out into the open. It is happening so much and appears to have been happening for so long that we have ingrained ways of "dealing" with it. I think families have a conspiracy of silence. I think people would find it hard to confront the abuser. I think also the child becomes confused with the silence and mixed messages. Then out here, in society, there is a lot of sympathy but we aren't being very practical. It is a "thing". We don't like it and we are horrified and that may not actually be the best way of dealing with child abuse. Maybe we just need to harden up for a while and get a better plan together for the home front and then stop making it such a thing out here so kids can just be freed from this and have a chance to normalise. It shouldn't have escaped notice that most people cannot talk about it until they are much older. That just lets it carry on.Australia is actually very good at dealing with tough stuff in a very practical, can do way. We need a plan....and a campaign.