Reporting Child Abuse - Common Questions Answered, edited and updated

NB: THE CONTACT DETAILS GIVEN IN THIS ADVICE APPLY TO AUSTRALIA ONLY, EVERYTHING ELSE APPLIES WORLD-WIDE..

One of the greatest problems in Australia regarding child abuse is the reluctance of people to report it to the appropriate authorities. Often this is due to ignorance and lack

The first sentence of Principal 9 ofthe United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child states:

“The child shall be protected against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation.”

 
Child abuse holds no prejudice. It is a social phenomenon that happens in every part of the world, in every race and culture, and at every socio-economic level. It happens to boys and girls of all ages, in many different forms. Some types of abuse are very obvious, some are more subtle. All types of child abuse must be reported if the child is to live a happy and healthy life. .  

What can I do about child abuse and neglect?

If you witness a direct attack upon a child, and believe that the child's life may be at risk, immediately telephone 000 and call the police

Otherwise, if you believe that a child is being abused or neglected, telephone the Child Abuse Report Line on 13 1478. This line is open 24 hours and is the cost of a local call.  

Children in need of help, or just wanting to talk about their problems, can phone the Kid’s Help Line on 1800 55 1800. This is a free call from any landline phone and is open 24 hours.  

For more information about child abuse, child protection, what you can do to fight against child abuse, and further contact details for organizations that are dedicated to child protection and prevention of abuse, visit the NAPCAN web site at www.napcan.org.au  

If you are a parent or carer of children and you are finding it hard to cope and want more support, you can contact the Child Abuse Prevention Service on 1800 688 009. This is a free call from any landline phone and is open 24 hours. Alternatively, email caps@exemail.com.au or visit the website at www.childabuseprevention.com.au  

If I make such as report, will my family and I be safe?  

Yes. You may be asked to give your name and a contact telephone number, but your details will remain confidential. If, for any reason, you do not feel comfortable providing your name and telephone number, you can remain anonymous. If you are still not comfortable about reporting it yourself, you can always tell someone else that you trust, and ask them to make the phone call for you. The report of abuse or neglect upon a child is more important than whether or not the authorities know who made the call.  

What information do I have to give? 

As much information as you can give is best. The names and ages of the children involved, the name of the person who you believe has been abusing or neglecting them, and the address of the children's residence is very useful in determining exactly who you are talking about. You will also need to describe what you know about the abuse or neglect. Sometimes you may not have all of this information available to you, but anything you can give to identify the children and the person that is hurting them is beneficial.  

I have photographic or video evidence. What do I do with it?  

When you make the report, tell the person taking the information that you have this evidence. You may then be able to organize for someone to collect a copy of it from you, or if you are wishing to remain anonymous, you can arrange to send a copy to them. If the person you are talking to doesn't seem to be particularly interested in what you have, keep it in a safe place. It may come in useful later on. Be aware that there are laws about photographing and videoing other people without their permission. You need to be careful not to break the law yourself when getting such evidence. The same applies to any other kind of physical evidence.  

I have made a report and nothing has happened. Why?  

Unfortunately, there are more cases than there is time to properly investigate them. Just like the triage system in a hospital emergency ward, every case has to be prioritised in order of severity. There are cases out there that are a matter of life and death for the children involved, and obviously these have to come first. All reports are taken seriously; it is just a sad fact that sometimes it can take some time for action to be taken. Report it, and keep reporting it, until something is done.  

Someone else has already reported it. Why should I bother making a report as well?  

The more people that report a case of child abuse or neglect, the more priority it may be given. If only one person has noticed something wrong, then it may not be as high on the priority list as a similar case where dozens of people have noticed the same thing. Things are not always what they seem to be, and there are occasionally cases reported where it turns out that the person that made the report was simply mistaken in their conclusion. Sometimes, when someone has bruises and claims they fell down a flight of stairs, they really did fall down a flight of stairs. Sadly, some people also make false reports out of spite or in an attempt to seek vengeance. If many different people make reports about the same thing, there is less likelihood of the report being false or simply mistaken, and is obviously a serious problem. Any extra information that can be given – however trivial it may seem - can also help an investigation. As such, depending on the circumstances, more reports received about a case may cause it to be given a higher priority.  

Someone has told me about a case of child abuse, but they are refusing to report it themselves. I don't have any proof that their story is true, but I'm worried that it might be true. What should I do?  

It won't hurt to report it yourself and explain that you aren't sure of the truth behind it, but you have been told the information and you are concerned that it may be true. It is the responsibility of the authorities to do the investigations into how much truth there is to each reported case. Better to send them to investigate something that may be false, than to ignore it and allow a child to be hurt.  

Will becoming personally involved and doing something about the abuse or neglect help matters?  

Getting involved can help avoid or even stop child abuse and neglect, but not always. Although your heart is in the right place and it may seem like you are helping, if you are not careful, you can in fact end up hindering any investigations, causing more problems for the children and their family, and put yourself and your own family at risk. It also puts you at risk of being accused of being the person abusing the child. Stepping in to literally save a child's life on the spur of the moment by risking your own is a heroic thing to do, but only if you know what you are doing. If you don't know what you are doing, bravery becomes stupidity. Fire fighters are trained to run into burning buildings. Police officers and military personnel are trained to deal with people wielding weapons. If you don't have that sort of specialized training, you could end up seriously injured or killed as well.

The first and best thing you can do for an abused or neglected child is observe the situation, pick up the phone, and report it promptly and properly. If, however, you are in a position to help more directly, then by all means do so. A stressed parent under a lot of pressure may unintentionally cause their children harm, sometimes without even realizing it. Being a good friend or neighbour that is willing to look after the children for a few hours to give the parent a break, can be enough to avoid or stop such problems. Many cases of non-sexual abuse and neglect can be avoided simply by finding the adults caring for the children a bit more help and support than they currently have. 

Child sexual abuse is not something that may be unintentional or circumstantial, and it is all too often a repeated offence that may take place over many years if unreported.  Sexual abuse takes place when an older person is using and abusing their power over a child for their own sexual gratification. There is no excuse for this type of behaviour, and the only way to stop the perpetrator is to report it.  

Someone I know is being abusive or neglectful towards a child, but they don't mean to be. I don't want to make a report against them and have them loose their children. What else can I do?  

There is no excuse for allowing abuse or neglect towards a child to continue, and there is no excuse for knowing about it and not reporting it. Although sometimes people do harm children unintentionally, it is unacceptable to do nothing about it. The authorities do understand that not everyone's life is roses. Many people suffer from mental illness, addictions and simple ignorance; and sometimes the best thing that can be done for them is for the authorities to step in. They have the ability to get the family the best help possible to care for the children in an appropriate manner. They know that taking children away from the adults that care for them is also detrimental, and this measure is only taken in extreme cases where all other options are insufficient to protect the children.  

She is such a good person, and such a great friend, I can’t believe that she would hurt her child. How can anyone expect me to report someone I love?

Often, when children are abused, it is by someone who is close to them, such as a relative or friend. When you love and trust someone, it can be very hard to believe that they could do such a thing, let alone report them for it. The guilt you will feel for reporting it will be nothing, compared to the guilt you will feel if you don’t, and later find out that the child suffered terribly and you could have stopped it. Any child that tells of abuse must be taken seriously. It is unlikely that a child would be simply confused about a situation or blatantly telling lies, but either way, the truth will quickly be discovered. An adult that is mistakenly accused will get over it a lot more easily than a child that has been hurt.  

I don't want to cause a disruption within the family, won't reporting it do that?

Yes, it probably will cause a disruption, but it will be only slight compared to the abuse that is taking place.  It may become more publically known that something is wrong within the family, but it's not going to stay a secret forever anyway, better off getting it over and done with sooner so that everyoe can get past it sooner.  The bitterness within a family that may breed from a report of child abuse will not be anywhere near as harsh as the bitterness caused by the abuse, that will come later, if no one stops it from happening.

It's none of my business. Why should I care about other people's children?  

You may not care much about a child you don't know very well, but knowing about a crime against a child and doing nothing about it makes you as cold and callous as the person committing the crime. Do you really want to lower yourself to that level? Not to mention that if someone is cruel enough to hurt a child, a day may come when they hurt someone you do care about. No child should live in fear and suffering, and it is our responsibility as adults to protect those that can not protect themselves.  

I know of someone who has previously been convicted or accused of crimes against children and they live in my area. Should I be worried?  

Always make sure that your children stay away from anyone that you are not comfortable with. Teach your children that they have the right to feel safe, and they have the right to tell you - or any other adult they trust - about anything that is worrying them. The strongest defense that child abusers have is the ability to control children with the fear that bad things will happen if they tell anyone. If we enforce in our children that they have nothing to fear if they speak up, that they should speak up and keep speaking until they feel safe, we take away the first line of defence that a child abuser has. Tragically, many people who commit crimes against children often do repeat their offences. However, some don’t, and on rare occasions there are people that have been falsely accused. We can’t go around slandering or punishing people for something they might not have done and might never do. We can, and should, keep a wary eye out for the signs of abuse and report it if we suspect something is wrong.

I can keep an eye on what is happening and stop things from getting too bad, so why do I have to report it?

You might think you know that everything will be okay, you may think you will be able to keep and eye on things and prevent the abuse most of the time, but you can't be there every minute of every day.  After all, even if you live in the same house, you do have to sleep at the very least.  There have been many cases of abuse that have taken place while other adults have been in the very same house - even while they have slept in the same room!  Don't kid yourself, there is no way you can protect a child that is being abused by "keeping and eye on things" and not reporting it.

The family is suffering from domestic violence, but the kids aren't being hurt. Should this be reported?

Yes, it should. Children may not be physically or sexually abused directly by domestic violence, but witnessing the hurt (physical or emotional) of their abused parent or other family member is emotionally and mentally traumatic to them, and this does constitute mental and emotional abuse of the child. Children caught in the middle of domestic violence situations may grow up believing that this sort of abusive behaviour is normal and acceptable. Often, adult victims of domestic violence have trouble leaving an abusive situation for many reasons, and they can't be forced to leave. However, anyone can make a report of child abuse when the children are witnessing domestic violence. This can allow the adult victim a chance to receive support and give them a way out of their situation if they need it, as well as protecting the children.

I think it is abuse, but she says it is punishment and discipline, and people are telling me I shouldn't try to tell someone how to discipline their child. What should I do?

The answer is simple: Report it. Let the authorities determine if it is acceptable punishment or abuse. Maybe the person that is "disciplining" the child was raised with the old concepts of punishment, such as belting with a strap. Some previously accepted forms of punishment are now illegal and are classed as abuse in many parts of the world, but some people still don't understand this. Often the only way to get through to these people is to let someone of authority step and an explain it properly. It doesn't matter if someone tries to call it discipline or not. Abuse is still abuse, no matter what you want to call it, and all abuse should be reported.

THERE IS NO EXCUSE – REPORT CHILD ABUSE.