Disturbing stories of women's experiences of historical and current sexual abuse dominating the news headlines have led child protection expert Daryl Higgins to call for an urgent public health approach to addressing different forms of abuse.
Professor Higgins, director of ACU's Institute of Child Protection Studies, said recent events had put the spotlight on issues of consent, coercion, child sexual abuse, and rape.
"There are many lessons to be learned from the responses to these stories that highlight policy failures, cultures of complicity or silence, the harm caused by inappropriate responses, lack of staff skills in safeguarding, unsafe physical environments, lack of education on consent and lack of procedural guidelines," he said.
"These failures are also evident in places where children should be safe as there is still widespread failure to keep children safe and to protect them."
Professor Higgins said government agencies, faith-based and other community organisations have introduced policies – that embed safety and wellbeing in leadership, governance, and culture - to inform children about their rights and enable them to participate in decisions affecting them.
