B Mathews, “Child sexual abuse in Australia: a national evidence base on prevalence, perpetrators, disclosure, and implications for the judiciary” (2026) 38 JOB 1.

This article first explains the approach employed in the Australian Child Maltreatment Study¹ (ACMS) to measuring the prevalence and characteristics of child sexual abuse. It then outlines the key results from the ACMS about the major dimensions of this evidence base about child sexual abuse in Australia. Finally, it makes brief observations about potential implications for diverse aspects of judicial decision-making and general practice in criminal, civil and child protection jurisdictions.