A study published on Wednesday has found the sexual assault of Australian children has spiked since the pandemic, surprising researchers who expected rates to fall in line with other countries around the world.
The University of Sydney research found a 2.8% increase in rates of sexual assaults against girls aged up to nine, and 4.2% against girls aged 10 to 17. Rates among boys aged 10 to 17 accelerated 15.7% since 2021 (The Guardian).
The study said the increase could be attributed to a range of factors, including income inequality and the “expansion of misogynistic online communities” (The Guardian).
“We are at a crisis point,” said Dr Lucy Grummitt, lead author of the study. “Sexual assault and family and domestic violence have increased over the decade, but what’s particularly concerning is that the steepest increases were in the last three to five years” (Nine).
According to the Red Heart Movement, run by the Australian Femicide Watch, 23 Australian children have been killed in alleged domestic violence incidents in 2026 (Nine).
Read more: The case for a federal minister for children (The Saturday Paper)