Research Monograph 15 — Child sexual assault

Child sexual assault

Despite the hype and glamour of the print and electronic media that inevitably seem to accompany anything touching the subject of child abuse, there can be no doubt that the problem of child sexual assault is widespread in the community. For the year 1995, for example, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that there were over 2000 victims of child sexual assault incidents reported to police in New South Wales alone. Given the nature of many of these offences, and particularly having regard to the vulnerability and powerlessness of the victims and the hidden and very private nature of these offences, one cannot help thinking that the offences that are reported represent just the tip of the iceberg. For this reason the criminal justice system has a very important part to play in prosecuting those persons who are identified as child abusers and indicating to the community that such behaviour is not only unacceptable but that those found to take part in such conduct cannot expect to be dealt with leniently by the courts. 

The present study is concerned with an analysis of child sexual assault cases prosecuted in the District Court of New South Wales in 1994. It looks at the profiles of the offenders and the victims, the types of offences prosecuted, the outcomes and the sentences imposed. In addition, the Monograph, together with the Appendices, present a review of the literature and the history of legislative changes which have taken place over the last two decades. Consideration is also given to the rules of evidence which have been introduced in recent times to help relieve the burden faced by victims of child sexual assault in the courtroom.

Paperback, 86 pp, 1997, ISBN 0 7313 0273 7