Poll: Should men be banned from working in childcare?

Calls to ban all men from working in childcare have erupted after a male worker was charged with allegedly sexually abusing children at multiple Melbourne centres, following a string of separate arrests in Queensland. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Ashley Paul Griffith was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to hundreds of child sex offences.

Calls to ban men from childcare have erupted after a male worker was charged with allegedly sexually abusing children at multiple Melbourne centres.

HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR POLL BELOW

Victoria Police on Tuesday charged a man with 70 offences after he allegedly abused eight children at a Point Cook childcare centre in Melbourne, prompting calls from some safety advocates nationwide to reconsider whether men should be allowed to work in childcare.

Over the past seven months in Queensland, several teachers, a childcare worker and a children’s sports coach have been arrested over alleged child sex assault offences.

On June 5, police charged a north Brisbane man working at an educational facility in relation to alleged child sex offences.

In April, a male Burpengary East teacher was charged in relation to alleged child exploitation material found on a number of devices. Also in April, a Mango Hill man, who worked as a children’s basketball coach, was charged with alleged child sex assault offences.

In November last year, a Dalby teacher was charged in relation to alleged child sex offences.

That same month, Brisbane childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to committing 307 child sex offences.

Speaking to Today on Thursday, Louise Edmonds, founder of the independent Collective of Survivors, said the safety of young children needs to be the priority.

“We’re now seeing this is the third case of huge amounts of children being exposed to alleged pedophiles and alleged child sex abuses in a childcare centre,” she said, while clashing with host Karl Stefanovic about calls to ban men from childcare.

“Without, you know, staining all the good men who are in there wanting to be positive role models for the young boys who are in daycare centres, there are some measures that can be taken place,” she said.

“We actually have to look at the safety first and foremost of our most vulnerable citizens, which are our children, and a lot of them are voiceless.

“All daycare centres can literally say to the parent, do you opt in or do you opt out at this very moment to actually have a male carer look after your child?”

A Change.org petition launched on Wednesday has received more than 250 signatures, with many calling for a ban to be implemented.

“The safety and wellbeing of our children must be the highest priority in any childcare or early education environment,” the petition read.

“While abuse can happen regardless of gender, statistics consistently show that the majority of child sexual abuse cases are perpetrated by males. In positions of trust involving vulnerable children, extra precaution is not prejudice — it’s protection.”



Originally published as Poll: Should men be banned from working in childcare?