Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse

For journalists, child sexual abuse is an issue ‘like no other’ that requires understanding and refection about the ongoing impacts of trauma on victims and survivors.

Child sexual abuse has long been hidden from public discussion and media have a powerful role to play in breaking the silence about abuse – now and in the past – within our families, online, and in organisations. Media organisations and journalists take on considerable responsibility when they report on child sexual abuse. Reporting can empower victims and survivors and increase community awareness, but can also reinforce stereotypes and cause further harm, stigma and trauma.

To date there has been limited support for Australian media professionals about the best way to tell such an important, personal story. The University of Canberra, in partnership with the National Office for Child Safety in the Attorney-General’s Department, have developed Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse: Guidance for Media and its companion Engaging with Media about Child Sexual Abuse: For Victims and Survivors (the Guides) to fill that gap.

This Guide introduces the five Key Principles for reporting on child sexual abuse and offers practical advice, rather than rules, for journalists, editors and court reporters. It includes tips on avoiding harmful language and imagery, along with valuable statistics, information and links to further resources.

Child sexual abuse is a widespread issue that may be affecting your readers, colleagues or yourself. It is estimated that more than one in four (28.5%) Australians have experienced child sexual abuse. Abuse can leave lasting impacts including on mental health, relationships, education, employment and finances.

That is why we have taken a trauma-informed approach to the Guides, asking media professionals to return to the core principles: Why are you reporting on this story? Who will it help? How might it harm?

The Guides acknowledge that the burden of child sexual abuse does not fall evenly across the community. Some voices and experiences are heard more clearly than others and some groups may be disproportionally affected. Special consideration has been given to the needs and sensitivities of 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, and people living in regional and remote communities.

To develop the Guides, we undertook research to analyse news media reporting and consulted with people with lived experience, stakeholders across the child safety sector, and with media professionals. You can find out more about the project here.

These initial Guides are intended as living documents that will develop and grow. Importantly, this guidance for media sits alongside the companion Engaging with Media about Child Sexual Abuse: For Victims and Survivors and they should be read together.