The Grace Tame Foundation

Prevalence of child sexual abuse

Survey of 8500 Australians aged 16-65+

Almost 1 in 4 experienced 1 or more types of contact child sexual abuse

Almost 1 in 5 experienced non-contact child sexual abuse

Almost 1 in 12 Australians experienced forced sex in childhood (rape)

When a child experiences CAS, it rarely happens only once

Among children who experanced CSA

experienced it more than 1 time

experienced it more than 6 times

experienced it more than 50 times

Child sexual abuse in Australia is widespread, enduring and intolerable.

Overall national prevalence breakdown by sex:

1 in 3 Girls

More than 1 in 3 girls experience child sexual abuse.

1 in 5 Boys

Almost 1 in 5 boys experience child sexual abuse.

Massive gender disparity

Full sample (aged 16-65+):
Girls experience double the rate of child sexual abuse than boys

Youth sample (aged 16-24):
Girls experience double 2.4 times the rate of child sexual abuse

Reference: Mathews B et al. (2023) The prevalence of child maltreatment in Australia: findings from a national survey. Med J Aust. 218 (6).

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The Grace Tame Foundation advocates for legal reform, education, and cultural change to uphold every child’s right to safety, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We rely on the generous support of donors to continue this vital work.

The Grace Tame Foundation acknowledges First Australians, the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing culture, their contribution and connection to land, waters and community, and we pay our respect to elders past, present and emerging.