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Child sexual abuse in Australia:
the facts
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.
While commonly viewed as something that happened historically in institutions, childhood sexual abuse remains alarmingly common in contemporary Australia. These are the facts, drawn from Australia's leading research: the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse.
The How common is child sexual abuse in Australia?
More than one quarter (28.5%) of people living in Australia have experienced childhood sexual abuse. That’s more than 1 in 3 girls and almost 1 in 5 boys.
In 2022, 1.1 million adult women and 343,500 adult men living in Australia had experienced sexual abuse by an adult before the age of 15 years.
Child sexual abuse usually happens more than once: 78% of people who experienced it experienced more than one event.
Source: The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
1 in 4 young Australians aged 16 to 24 have experienced child sexual abuse.
Source: The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
Girls are twice as likely to experience childhood sexual abuse as boys.
Source: The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
While rates of sexual abuse have declined for boys across generations, they have not declined for girls.
Source: Australian Child Maltreatment Study; National Centre prevalence data
How long does it take survivors to tell someone?
On average, it takes survivors of childhood sexual abuse 23.9 years to tell someone about the abuse. For women the average is 20.6 years, and for men it is 25.6 years.
Some victims never disclose. Shame and embarrassment are the most common barriers, along with fear of not being believed. (Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse)
Research also shows that disclosure is rarely a one-off event. It is often a process that unfolds across a person's life, shaped by how people respond along the way. (Source: National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse)
What are the long term impacts?
Adults who have been sexually abused as children can experience poorer physical and mental health. This includes chronic health issues such as pain and trouble sleeping, and impacts on mental health and wellbeing. They are more likely to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression, and to have attempted suicide. (Source: The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse)
The ACMS found that young Australians aged 16 to 24 who experienced child maltreatment are
2.9 times more likely to have a mental disorder
3.3 times more likely to have generalised anxiety disorder
5.8 times more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder
4.5 times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year
It also found that sexual abuse and emotional abuse are the most harmful types of child maltreatment for later mental health. (Source: Australian Child Maltreatment Study)
Importantly, the research is equally clear that experiencing maltreatment does not mean a person is destined for these outcomes. Safe relationships and the right support make a real difference, and healing is possible. Read more on our Impacts page.
Are our systems responding well enough?
Only 9% of the tertiary-qualified health and mental health workforce feel sufficiently equipped by their formal studies to respond to childhood sexual abuse. (Source: National Centre Learning and Development Survey, 2023)
Only 22% of people who have been in contact with public mental health services had ever been asked about childhood sexual abuse. (Source: The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse)
Put simply: most survivors are never asked, and most professionals do not feel prepared to respond. This gap is a major reason survivor-led programs and better community awareness matter.
Why these facts matter
Silence keeps childhood sexual abuse hidden, and hidden problems do not get fixed. Sharing accurate information helps survivors feel less alone, helps supporters respond well, and helps Australia face the scale of the issue. Every conversation that treats these facts seriously chips away at the stigma that keeps survivors silent.
If these facts move you, there are practical things you can do: learn how to support a survivor, share this page, watch the Left Write Hook documentary, make a tax-deductible donation to support survivor-led recovery programs, or join our donor circle