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Why childhood sexual abuse is still an issue in Australia
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.
Many Australians think of childhood sexual abuse as something that happened in the past, mostly in institutions. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse rightly exposed decades of institutional failures, and it changed the national conversation. But the evidence tells a bigger story: childhood sexual abuse remains alarmingly common in contemporary Australia, it happens across all communities and demographics, and it most often happens within families and trusted relationships rather than institutions.
The scale of the problem
More than 1 in 3 girls and almost 1 in 5 boys in Australia experience childhood sexual abuse, and around 1 in 4 young Australians aged 16 to 24 have experienced it. Research also shows that while sexual abuse has declined for boys across generations, it has not declined for girls. This is not a problem we have solved. (Source: Australian Child Maltreatment Study)
It happens closer to home than most people think
Child sexual abuse within families and trusted relationships creates unique barriers to disclosure and help-seeking. Children often fear the consequences of disclosure for themselves or their family, and family responses can be shaped by fear, stigma and relational complexity. Research also shows that child sexual abuse and domestic and family violence are deeply interconnected, yet Australia's responses to them often operate in silos. Understanding that abuse mostly happens close to home, by people the child knows, is essential to preventing it. (Source: National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse research)
The silence compounds the harm
Most survivors carry their experience alone for decades. On average it takes 23.9 years to tell someone, and shame and fear of not being believed are the most common barriers. When survivors do speak, the response they receive matters enormously: being believed, supported and given control is critical to recovery and to future help-seeking. Too often, victims and survivors, and even non-offending parents, are met with disbelief. Stigma, disbelief and silence do not just delay healing, g. Tthey protect perpetrators and allow harm to continue.
The systems designed to help often fall short
When survivors do reach out, the systems around them are often not ready. Only 9% of the tertiary-qualified health and mental health workforce feel sufficiently equipped by their formal studies to respond to childhood sexual abuse, and only 22% of people in contact with public mental health services had ever been asked about it. Many survivors are never asked about what they have been through, and traditional services can often feel unsafe or inaccessible, which is part of why survivor-led pathways matter.
There are also real signs of progress
Australia is investing seriously in understanding and addressing child sexual abuse. The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, established following the Royal Commission, has commissioned a national program of research spanning prevention, disclosure, system responses and survivor support, all informed by the expertise of victim-survivors. The decline in rates for boys shows change is possible. And a growing survivor-led movement, including organisations like Left Write Hook, is proving that people with lived experience can lead recovery, research and reform.
What needs to change
We all have a role to play to stop childhood sexual abuse and to support the people who have experienced it. That means:
More open, informed conversations about childhood sexual abuse, including within families. Research shows that safe conversations and collective storytelling help break the silence.
Challenging stigma and stereotypes about victim-survivors. Survivors are courageous and diverse, and are not defined by their abuse and trauma.
Building the capability of the workforce, so that health, education, justice and community professionals are confident to ask, respond and support.
Designing systems informed by the experiences and expertise of victim-survivors.
Recognising that the effects of trauma are lifelong, and that healing is possible with the right environment and support.
Widespread availability of survivor-led recovery programs. Recovery programs are also prevention mechanisms: they help break cycles of violence and enable others to access support.
Be part of the change
You can help by learning how to support a survivor, sharing the facts, watching and sharing the Left Write Hook documentary, or supporting survivors through a donation.
Sources: Australian Child Maltreatment Study findings; National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (Learning and Development Survey 2023, Healing Hidden Wounds, evidence to action newsletter including Salter 2026, McPherson 2025, Wright 2026, Heward-Belle 2026); Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse; Left Write Hook film site, The Issue and Impact Campaign key messages.