The National Strategy
This content was initially created in 2022. Some information may no longer be current including titles of Ministers and Commonwealth Government Departments. You can find a list of current appointments on the Directory website.
The language we use has also changed from the initial terminology in the National Strategy. For a full list of the terminology we use, see our Glossary of terms page.
The National Strategy is the first of its kind in Australia. It is a strategic framework for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. The National Strategy sets up a nationally coordinated and consistent way to prevent and better respond to child sexual abuse in all settings. This includes:
- within families
- by other people the child or young person knows or does not know
- in organisations
- online.
The National Strategy recognises that child sexual abuse is preventable. Addressing child sexual abuse requires a range of prevention programs and plans, as well as trauma-informed responses and supports for people who have experienced or been affected by it.
The National Strategy recognises that protecting children and young people and promoting their safety is everyone’s responsibility. It considers their best interests as a priority. This means valuing children and young people, as well as their views and experiences.
The National Strategy is based on a public health approach. This means it includes primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary measures to better identify, prevent and respond to child sexual abuse.
Quaternary prevention
Evaluates how effective tertiary interventions are to make sure they are delivering the right results.
Tertiary prevention
Aims to respond to child sexual abuse and prevent it from happening again.
Secondary prevention
Aims to address the early warning signs of child sexual abuse and change the end result for people who are at risk of experiencing or perpetrating child sexual abuse.
Primary prevention
Responses are aimed at the whole community and address the underlying causes of child sexual abuse.
Refer to our website’s Glossary for a full definition of these terms
While the focus of the National Strategy is on preventing and responding to child sexual abuse, we also expect measures to reduce the prevalence of other forms of child maltreatment. The five forms of child maltreatment are physical, emotional and sexual abuse, exposure to domestic and family violence, and neglect.
Vision
The vision explains what the National Strategy wants to achieve over the next 10 years.
All children and young people are protected and safe from sexual abuse. Victims and survivors are supported and empowered.
Objective
The objective explains what it will look like if the National Strategy is successful. It will be the basis of a long-term evaluation of the National Strategy.
The National Strategy will reduce the risk, extent and impact of child sexual abuse and related harms in Australia.
Values
These values guide the work we are doing to achieve the National Strategy’s vision and objective. This includes how we design and implement the National Strategy’s measures.
Child safety is everyone’s responsibility. Australian, state and territory governments, organisations, industry, communities, families, kin, carers and individuals all have a role to play.
The views and experiences of victims and survivors are a priority, and their needs shape our efforts.
Children and young people’s voices and views, experiences and participation are central to the decisions we make.
We hear and value the diverse views and experiences of all Australians.
The work we do to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse is:
- culturally safe
- developmentally and age appropriate
- trauma-informed
- accessible and meets diverse needs and circumstances.
Evidence, data, research and evaluation informs our policies, programs and reforms.
A National Strategy for everyone
This National Strategy is for:
- victims and survivors of child sexual abuse of all ages
- children and young people
- families, kin and carers
- communities
- organisations and governments.
We all have a role to play in protecting children and young people.
Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse come from all walks of life. We developed the National Strategy and its action plans in consultation with a wide range of people, including people from the National Strategy’s priority groups. These groups deserve and need measures to be implemented in a way that is specific to them. This includes how we deliver, and talk about, the National Strategy.
Our priority groups are:
- victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and their advocates
- children and young people and their support networks
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities
- people with disability
- LGBTQIA+ people
- people living in regional and remote communities.
We understand there is diversity in and across the priority groups. We also understand that some people may be part of more than one group. When we design and implement each National Strategy measure, we will work with each group and:
- hear and prioritise their experiences
- act in meaningful ways to meet their needs
- communicate in a way that is accessible and appropriate, including developing resources for different audiences – such as creating a children and young people’s guide to the National Strategy
- recognise the effects that intergenerational trauma has, including the impact of colonisation and dispossession, and disconnection from culture and Country
- honour all parts of a person’s identity and experience.
Why we need a National Strategy
Many children and young people in Australia experience sexual abuse.
Children and young people have the right to feel loved, nurtured, safe and protected from harm. Children and young people have this right no matter their:
- culture and cultural background
- age
- religion
- sex
- sexual identity
- gender
- ability
- location
- education
- financial situation.
The Royal Commission uncovered the hidden nature, complex causes and devastating impacts of child sexual abuse in institutions in Australia. This includes where a child or young person was in institutional care, for example out-of-home care.
The Royal Commission held 8,000 private sessions and received more than 1,000 written accounts. The National Strategy is a key recommendation of the Royal Commission.
You can find more information on the Royal Commission in Appendix A. You can also read more about the victims and survivors’ stories and experiences told on the Royal Commission website.
Trends
79% abused by a relative, friend or neighbour
Research and data indicates that child sexual abuse does not only happen in institutions. In a study of people who experienced sexual abuse before they were 15 years old, 79% were abused by a relative, friend, acquaintance or neighbour.
The ABS states that only 11% of people who experienced sexual abuse before they were 15 were abused by a stranger.
21% increase in reported sexual assaults
Reports of child sexual abuse are increasing. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of sexual assaults against children and young people (aged zero to 17 years old) recorded by police increased by 21% (from 13,353 to 16,140).
122% increase in reported online abuse materials
According to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, the way in which children and young people are sexually abused can change over time.
For example, reports of online child abuse material during Australia’s first COVID-19 lockdown increased by 122% in April to June 2020, compared to April to June 2019.
10.7% of women sexually abused as a child
4.6% of men sexually abused as a child
All children can be affected by child sexual abuse, but a higher number of girls report experiencing abuse. The ABS states that around one in 10 (10.7%) women report that an adult sexually abused them before they turned 15, while one in 20 (4.6%) men reported that an adult sexually abused them before they turned 15.
93.9% of offenders are adult men
There is also a difference between men and women when it comes to child sexual abuse offending. Of the victims and survivors who told the Royal Commission about sexual abuse by an adult, almost all (93.9%) said they were abused by a man. Studies of child sexual abuse show that men are also more likely than women to commit abuse in other environments (for example online or in the family home).
Communities and people across Australia vary widely in their social, cultural and financial situations. These affect people’s experiences of, and the response to, child sexual abuse. There are gaps in the data around the experiences of:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people
- children and young people from CALD backgrounds
- children and young people with disability
- children and young people who live in rural and remote communities.
Risks and indicators
The Royal Commission found a number of risk factors that can be linked to child sexual abuse. Some of the risk factors include a child or young person’s:
- age and stage of development
- family situation, such as unstable living arrangements
- past experiences of abuse.
The Royal Commission also identified some ‘protective factors’ that can lower the risk of child sexual abuse and help protect the child or young person. These include the child or young person’s:
- access to trusted adults and peers
- understanding of personal safety
- strong community or cultural connections.
You can learn more about the nature and cause of child sexual abuse in institutional contexts on the Royal Commission website.
Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse tell people about the abuse in different ways. Generally, victims and survivors are more likely to tell someone they trust. However, only a small number of children and young people will tell someone outright that they have been sexually abused. It is more common for children and young people to tell people indirectly. They might do this by making tentative statements and through changes in their behaviour. It is important that adults are aware of the behaviours that show that a child or young person may have experienced sexual abuse. These behaviours are listed in Appendix B.
There is no typical profile of a person who sexually abuses children and young people. Not all perpetrators have the same traits, behaviours and motivations as one another. They come from different backgrounds and circumstances. There is often very little that makes people who sexually abuse children and young people stand out from the general population, except for their criminal behaviour.
Some risk factors that may play a role in someone’s decision to sexually abuse a child or young person are in Appendix B. While understanding the factors that can affect child sexual abuse offending is important to respond to and stop the abuse from happening, there is never an excuse for child sexual abuse. These factors do not diminish a perpetrator’s responsibility.
Some children and young people experience child sexual abuse by other children and young people. The Royal Commission used the term ‘harmful sexual behaviours’ to cover a wide range of behaviours. These range from behaviours that are inappropriate for the child’s age and development to serious sexual assault. While the impact of sexual abuse by other children or young people can have the same devastating effect as abuse by adults, the dynamics are very different. Research in this area is still quite new. However, we know many children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours have also been victims of child maltreatment. We also know that most children and young people do not continue harmful sexual behaviours into adulthood, particularly if they are able to access early support and therapeutic interventions.
You can read more information about children with harmful sexual behaviours in Theme 3.
We know there is more we can do to improve our understanding of the prevalence, nature and effects of child sexual abuse in Australia. We must push for cultural change to reduce the shame and stigma that victims and survivors experience. We want to overcome the barriers that people face to reporting abuse and to sharing their experiences with others. We need to address misconceptions about who sexually abuses children and young people. We must hold perpetrators to account.
The role of government, business and the community
Role of the Australian Government
The Australian Government has a significant role in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. Working alongside state and territory offences, the Commonwealth Criminal Code includes criminal offences for child sexual abuse committed:
- online
- via postal services
- overseas – in cases where the person is an Australian citizen.
The number of people committing these offences is increasing, and with it, the Australian Government’s responsibility to respond. The Australian Government also plays a key role in protecting children and young people from abuse and harm more broadly. The National Office for Child Safety was established in July 2018 in response to the Royal Commission.
The National Office provides national leadership to strengthen child safety policies and reduce future harm to children and young people. It has a particular focus on child sexual abuse, including oversight of the National Strategy.
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation was established in 2018 to drive a joint effort to counter online child sexual abuse. It provides a consistent, holistic and coordinated response to counter child sexual abuse in Australia. It does this by using the expertise of law enforcement agencies, governments, non-government agencies, academics and industry.
The eSafety Commissioner promotes online safety education for Australian children and young people, educators and parents. It also provides a complaint process for children and young people who experience serious cyberbullying and for Australians to report illegal or offensive online content.
The Department of Social Services is responsible for policies and programs that support the safety and wellbeing of Australia’s children, women and families. This includes oversight of:
- Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children
- the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children
- the National Disability Strategy.
Other Australian Government departments play key roles in managing areas of law and policy that relate to:
- initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- child safety – including family law
- online safety
- technology-facilitated crimes
- crimes committed overseas involving Australians
- workplace and employment law
- health and mental health
- migration.
The National Children’s Commissioner plays a key role in:
- raising awareness of issues affecting children and young people
- undertaking research and education programs
- consulting with children and young people and representative organisations
- examining Commonwealth legislation, policies and programs relating to children and young people’s human rights.
Role of state and territory governments
State and territory governments are responsible for protecting children and young people experiencing, or at risk of, abuse and neglect. They are also responsible for criminal offences relating to a range of child sexual abuse offences. State and territory courts and child protection agencies have a wide range of powers to protect children and young people’s welfare.
State and territory governments manage areas of law, policies and services relating to child safety, including:
- domestic and family violence
- education
- juvenile justice
- health, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services
- mental health and therapeutic services for children and young people.
Role of local governments
Local governments play a key role in promoting safety and are responsible for community roles that impact children and young people. This includes providing services such as:
- libraries
- swimming pools
- holiday programs
- childcare
- spaces for community activities.
In regional and remote areas, local governments often play an even greater role as the main provider of services and information for the community.
Role of organisations
Government and non-government organisations provide important support services and information to victims and survivors. They also do research and raise awareness.
Organisations have a key role in providing services to children and young people in a child safe way.
These organisations include:
- schools
- sporting organisations
- hospitals
- disability support services
- community health services.
These organisations are in a good position to identify and respond to concerns about child sexual abuse. They may also have mandatory reporting obligations – where they must report suspicions of child sexual abuse.
Organisations are also responsible for creating child safe environments and should implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
Role of the Australian community
The Australian community plays an important part in creating child safe environments. Everyone has a role to play in keeping children and young people safe. The Australian community can do this by:
- understanding child sexual abuse
- identifying risks and protective factors
- knowing what to do if a child or young person is, or is at risk of, being sexually abused.
International frameworks
Measures under the National Strategy are in line with Australia’s commitments under international law. This includes as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
You can find more information about legal and policy frameworks relating to children and young people in Appendix C.
Other initiatives
National Centre
In 2019, the Australian Government agreed to spend $22.5 million over 5 years to set up a National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, which was established in 2021. This was a recommendation of the Royal Commission.
The National Centre will:
- raise community awareness and aim to stop the stigma of child sexual abuse
- improve the skills of the workforce to better help child and adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse
- lead new or improved models to support adult and child victims and survivors of child sexual abuse through national research and program evaluation.
The National Office for Child Safety will work closely with the National Centre when it is set up.
Other national agreements
The National Strategy will be implemented alongside other policies and frameworks that make sure children and young people are safe and well in all areas of their lives. These include:
- Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children
- the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children
- the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Australian, state and territory governments will continue collaborating to make sure these policies work together.
You can find a list of policies and frameworks in Appendix C.