Linda Kirk (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to talk about the matter of child abuse and to share with the Senate some of the latest findings on the extent of the problem on a global scale and, importantly, what we can do about it. This is what we know so far: one million children worldwide are in prison; almost six million children have been forced into work; over 220 million children have been sexually abused; two million children are used in prostitution or pornography; every year three million girls and women in Africa are subjected to genital mutilation; as many as 275 million children have witnessed domestic violence; and every year 50,000 children are victims of homicide. These are shocking figures, I am sure you would agree, Madam Acting Deputy President.

Just last week, on 12 October, the United Nations presented to the General Assembly in New York the results of its landmark four-year study on violence against children. This comprehensive report paints a sobering picture. It is significant in that it brings to light the scale of the problem of violence against children. It details the nature, extent and causes of violence against young people. It also sets out what all countries must do to stop it. According to the report’s author, independent expert Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, violence against children is widespread and, more alarmingly, tolerated.

Children around the world live with violence and other forms of abuse. Much of this is hidden or ignored, and in some cases it is socially sanctioned. Traditional cultural and religious practices such as forced child marriages, dowries, genital mutilation and bonded labour are accepted and even commonplace in some parts of the world. Around the world, certain categories of children, for example those who are disabled or disfigured, who are from certain races or castes, who are living on the streets or who are affected by HIV or AIDS are subject to discrimination and may suffer particularly harsh treatment.

The UN study that I referred to is the first global study to engage directly and consistently with children, with children participating in all regional consultations, eloquently describing the violence they have experienced and their proposals for ending it. The report looks at the places children experience violence, including in the home, at school, in alternative care institutions, in detention and in their workplaces.

Before I move on to discuss some of the report’s recommendations and what Australia must do to address what I consider to be one of our most pressing social problems, I want to share a few more findings. I wonder whether senators are aware that in some countries children and young people are subject to the death penalty. There are 31 countries which permit corporal punishment in criminal sentencing of children, and in some places this can include caning, stoning or amputation. In at least 77 countries, violent punishments are accepted as legal disciplinary measures in penal institutions, and there are more than one billion children around the world who can be legally beaten by their teachers. Trafficking in human beings, including children, is highlighted as another major area of concern in the UN report. Most children are trafficked into violent situations, including prostitution, forced marriage, slavery, servitude or debt bondage.

Professor Pinheiro acknowledges some of the progress that has been made. For example, he notes legislative and policy advances, and the fact that 192 member states have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The report makes a number of recommendations for action, and I urge the Australian government to examine and take these recommendations very seriously. The No. 1 recommendation is that all countries must develop a national plan of action with realistic and time-bound targets. This must be coordinated by an agency with the capacity to involve multiple sectors in a broad based implementation strategy.

Child advocates here in Australia have been calling for such a national strategy for a long time. The Australian Labor Party has recognised the need for a national approach, and indeed it has been part of our platform for many years now to establish a government office for children, as well as a national commissioner for children and young people. A national commissioner would be able to provide leadership and advocacy on children’s issues, and monitor the wellbeing and report regularly on the status of children in Australia. The national commissioner would work with the states and territories and develop a national code to protect children from abuse.

Today I want to call on the government to take the issue of child abuse seriously, to heed the recommendations of the UN report and to take on the challenge of putting a national strategy in place. We know that child abuse can happen anywhere. However, we also know that it is a complex issue and that factors including poverty, and educational and social disadvantage, all increase the risks.

I am the convenor of the cross-party group Parliamentarians Against Child Abuse and I have spoken here in the Senate and in the community on many occasions about many aspects of this serious problem. I have spoken about the complexity of the problem in Australia, as well as highlighting some of the local success stories. I have made speeches in this place on one of the most significant problems within our region—namely, child sex tourism in Asia.

Recently I spoke here in the Senate about police beatings, rape and torture of children in Papua New Guinea. I have to say I was shocked when I discovered the extent of this problem in PNG and that it was happening—and continues to happen—in a country so close to our shores. I raise this issue because I know that the Australian government, as Papua New Guinea’s largest foreign aid donor, is in a position to do something about it. Much of our foreign aid to PNG goes directly to its police force. Today, again, I call on the government to place conditions on the receipt of our foreign aid dollars directed towards the PNG police force.

Last month I hosted an event for National Child Protection Week. As convenor of PACA, this is something I have done for the past few years in conjunction with NAPCAN, a national organisation established to help prevent child abuse and neglect in Australia. According to NAPCAN, here in Australia a child is abused every 13 minutes. Suspected child abuse cases have doubled since the years 1999-2000, and proven cases of abuse and neglect of Indigenous children are six times higher than for the general populace. In its materials, NAPCAN talks about the importance of creating what it calls ‘child-friendly communities’. This ties in with the findings of the UN report on risk and protection factors. For example, two of the most important protective factors in preventing violence against children are strong and stable family units and high levels of community social cohesion.

In the time that I have available I am not able to cover all of the issues that I wish to, but I would like to mention the NAPCAN website and encourage people to go to the website and see the excellent work that they are doing. The address is www.napcan. org.au. This site has some very good information on it as to what individuals, communities and workplaces can do to address this serious issue of violence against children.

In the time that I have remaining, I would also like to reinforce the core message of the UN study—namely, that violence against children is preventable. There can be no excuses or justifications for abuse of or violence against children. The United Nations has recommended that every nation put in place a national strategy to prevent violence against children, and today I urge the Howard government to implement this recommendation and to put in place a national strategy to tackle this most disturbing social problem.