Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today, I rise to talk about a cause that is near and dear to my heart, and that is violence against children. Data provided by the World Health Organization and the Australian Institute of Family Studies show that 1 in 26 Australian children are affected by violence. This equates to one child in every classroom. Globally, a staggering 150 million girls and 73 million boys under the age of 18 are victims of sexual violence. Those numbers are sobering, as is the official statistic that 90 per cent of all sexual violence against children is perpetrated by men.

Now in its third year, YGAP's Polished Man campaign challenges men to unite and lead by example, channelling their collective strength of masculinity to protect society's most vulnerable citizens and our future leaders. This year the campaign calls on men to help raise more than the $600,000 during October by encouraging them to paint a finger nail, help raise funds and spark community awareness. All funds raised through Polished Man are channelled into trauma recovery and trauma prevention programs for children who have suffered or who are at risk of suffering from violence globally. No child should live in fear of sexual or physical violence.

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