The Australian Bureau of Statistics, defines Sexual Assault as “unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature directed towards a person which makes that person feel uncomfortable, distressed, frightened, threatened or harmed” in circumstances where that person has not freely agreed, consented or is incapable of consenting to that behaviour”.
The idea of children sexually assaulting other children is naturally abhorrent to us, but the reality is that it happens. And it’s not as rare as we would hope.
Sexual development and exploration is a normal part of healthy adolescence, however some young people engage in sexual behaviour that is not within the ‘normal’ bounds of development.
The difficulty is that there is a tendency to minimise or dismiss young people’s sexually abusive behaviour as experimentation or play, or as a ‘phase’ that will pass with age.
Young people themselves rarely use the terms ‘sexual assault’, ‘rape’ or ‘sexual abuse’ to describe unwanted sexual experiences and they can have difficulty naming an incident as sexual assault at all.
The point at which ‘normal’ sexual behaviour becomes abusive cannot always be decided based on the behaviour alone. It is useful to think about three factors—equality, consent and coercion—and to what extent they are present in the relationship between the young people involved in the sexual interaction. For example, an age difference of more than two years is generally considered unequal and a young person who says that they will tell the teacher that the other young person did something wrong if they don’t do something, is coercion.
The ABC has reported that in 2013 education departments around Australia received at least 940 reports of serious sexual assaults among children. The Incidents included:
- Sexual language and innuendo;
- Inappropriate touching;
- Grooming; and
- Verbal threats of sexual assault.
NOTE: ‘Grooming’ is a premeditated behaviour intended to secure the trust and cooperation of children prior to engaging in sexual conduct. It is a process during which offenders take a particular interest in the child victim to make them feel special with the intention of gaining their trust and seeking to desensitise them to sexual conduct.
The ABC News has reported that the NSW Education Department has revealed that in 2013 it recorded 66 cases of indecent assault, 33 cases of sexual assault, 19 cases of sexting, and 27 involving social networking sites.
What is perhaps most disturbing is that there is significant under-reporting by victims due to a culture of denial and non-disclosure because victims are too ashamed or are afraid of the consequences of reporting their abuse. So these figures could be the tip of the iceberg.
Furthermore, mobile phones, digital imaging, and the internet has created forms of sexual assault that the law and society have difficulty defining as assault.
The school setting provides one of the primary settings in which youth come into contact with each other and for many different reasons at times there can be minimal adult supervision. In our experience, this applies to both Private schools and Public schools.
Parents are obviously crucial in educating their children about unwanted sexual behaviours, however Schools also have a key role to play in primary sexual assault prevention. Education about unwanted sexual behaviours can generate more disclosures by students and positive responses to a student’s disclosure, will show students that they will be believed and supported.
What to do if you, if you, or an adolescent you know, has been sexually assaulted:
- If you are in immediate danger – call the Police on 000
- NSW Health Sexual Assault Services are located in all Local Health Districts across NSW. They provide free services to children, adolescents and adults who have been sexually abused as well as their non-offending parents /caregivers, partners and families.
Their services include information crisis counselling, medical care and forensic examination, ongoing counselling, group work and court preparation and support for anyone who has been sexually assaulted.
There is a sexual assault service in your area open 24 hours a day. Visit http://www.kidsfamilies.health.nsw.gov.au/current-work/programs/programs-and-initiatives/sexual-assault-services/ for more details.
- If you wish to report a sexual assault to the Police, contact your nearest Police station. Police are well trained to provide assistance to people who have been sexually assaulted. NSW Health Sexual Assault Services can also help facilitate this process and if you wish to speak with a counsellor call your local NSW Health Sexual Assault Service.
- If you, or a person you know, are under 16 years of age and have been sexually assaulted, reports can be made to the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111.
- In general, the following contacts can provide advice about counselling services (you can contact them anonymously):
- Your closest Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) – www.casa.org.au
- Kids Helpline1800 55 1800 or visit www.kidshelp.com.au
- http://www.bravehearts.org.au/
- http://www.rosiesplace.com.au/
- You can also contact the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Assault on 1800 099 340.
