Need support now? If you or a child is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000). If you need to talk to someone, Lifeline (13 11 14), 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) and the Blue Knot Helpline (1300 657 380) are there for you.
Left Write Hook is not a crisis or support service. For more services, visit our Get support page.
Chilhood sexual abuse:
Information and support
Content note: This page talks about childhood sexual abuse and its impacts. It is not graphic, but it may be distressing. Please take care of yourself while reading, and step away whenever you need to. The Quick Exit bar at the bottom of this site will close this page at any time.
Childhood sexual abuse is far more common than most people realise. More than one quarter of people living in Australia have experienced it. That is someone in your street, your workplace, your family. Yet it remains one of the most silenced issues in the country, and silence is exactly what allows the harm to continue.
Left Write Hook exists to break that silence. We are a survivor-led charity, and we believe that clear, honest, compassionate information changes things: it helps survivors feel less alone, it helps families and friends respond well, and it helps communities face the scale of the issue.
Who this section is for
Whether you are a survivor, you are supporting someone you love, you work with survivors, or you simply want to understand, this section is for you. Some people arrive here after a late-night search. Some arrive because someone they care about has just told them something important. Some are professionals or students. However you got here, you are welcome, and you can read at your own pace. The Quick Exit bar at the bottom of the screen will close this site instantly at any time.
About the information here
The information in this section has been compiled by the Left Write Hook team from Australia's leading sources, including the Australian Child Maltreatment Study, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, and the Blue Knot Foundation. Every statistic is sourced, and every page is written to be clear, factual and safe to read. Nothing on these pages is graphic.
Left Write Hook is not a crisis or support service, and this information is not a substitute for professional advice. If you need support, our Finding support page lists trusted services, and our Get support page has the full list.
You are not alone
Left Write Hook's research-informed writing and boxing program has supported hundreds of survivors of childhood sexual abuse and gendered violence to reclaim their voices and their bodies, and hundreds more around Australia have registered their interest in a program near them. If you would like to take part, you can join our program waitlist . If you want to stand with survivors, you can support our work.
Sources: Australian Child Maltreatment Study (acms.au/findings), National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (nationalcentre.org.au), Blue Knot Foundation (blueknot.org.au), ABS Personal Safety Survey 2021-22, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.