Predatory podcast: ‘Bombshell’ findings about Australian child sex abuse victims

There is a sinister link between criminal activity and sex abuse in Australia that every family must be aware of. Warning: Graphic

Exclusive: One third of child sexual assault victims have inflicted self harm, a landmark study into the impact of abuse has found.

The “chilling” results from the $2.3m Australian Child Maltreatment Study, which spoke to 8500 people, also explores the growing link between criminal activity and sex abuse survivors.

“These are bombshell breakthrough findings for the nation,” lead investigator Professor Ben Mathews said.

“It is really quite shocking. I’ve been in this field for over 20 years, several of my colleagues on this team are international leaders in the field – and some of these findings took us back.”

The study, which was carried out throughout 2021 and will be published next month, will reveal the extent of childhood sexual abuse in Australia, as well as the other types of maltreatment like physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence.

Prof Mathews said it was staggering 30 per cent of survey participants, aged 16 to 24, had inflicted self harm.

Professor Ben Mathews said results of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study were “quite shocking”.

“One of the chilling findings from our study was the prevalence of self harm, that is intentional injury without meaning to kill yourself,” he said.

“And we found a dramatically higher association between self harm in those who had experienced child sexual abuse.

“We have analysed the health outcomes including mental health and health risk behaviours like suicide and self harm of those experiences through the lifespan. We’ve generated evidence of what percentage of the population has experienced child sexual abuse, and [discovered] their mental health and health risk behaviour outcomes, and when those adverse health outcomes crystallised.”

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“... child sexual abuse generally does increase dramatically increase the likelihood of adverse mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety and PTSD).”

Child sex abuse survivor, actress Madeleine West has chronicled her own battle in the News Corp podcast Predatory. Episode seven, which drops today, explores the push for better compensation for victims.

Madeleine West and Gary Jubelin are co-hosting the Predatory podcast. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Prof Mathews said long term, a better understanding of life changing impact of abuse on survivors was needed — specifically mental health — and the behaviours such torture generates.

“There is some evidence to date about the increased involvement in the criminal justice system for people who have experienced sexual abuse [but] the key factor is that the vast majority of criminal activity is not detected by police,” he said.

Whether they go on to becoming sexual offenders themselves, though, is not known.

“... the best evidence that we have is that there is not a substantially greater risk of people becoming sexual offenders themselves if they’ve simply been sexually abused themselves,” he said.

Bravehearts director of research Carol Ronken said support for children was critical for their long-term recovery

“We know for many survivors, the impacts are certainly part of, or result of, the amount of support they may get or their relationship with friends and family as they’re growing up. If they’re able to speak out, their trajectory into adults is a lot more positive,” Ms Ronken said.

She hoped increased awareness of childhood sexual abuse would lead to better outcomes for more survivors – many of who were retraumatised by events later in life.

“A lot of women who go through childbirth, that may trigger the trauma of being a victim of sexual abuse. For some men it might be becoming a father and having to struggle with the thought that ‘oh my god, what if I harm my child?’’ she said.

For more details about the Predatory podcast, go to predatory.com.au

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Originally published as Predatory podcast: ‘Bombshell’ findings about Australian child sex abuse victims