‘The big issue’: How pedophiles are preying on vulnerable young teens in Cairns

A youth worker says she was recently looking for one of her young clients and found the girl at a registered pedophile’s house amid a concerning trend she believes is rife in Cairns.

Sexual predators in Cairns are targeting vulnerable young teenagers who are often homeless or in state care.

Cairns teenagers have been found “hanging out” at the home of a registered pedophile, a youth worker has revealed.

The youth worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said she found a young girl at an older man’s house with several other young teenagers.

She is one of several youth workers who say sexual predators are targeting young teenagers who are homeless, from broken homes, disabled, or under the care of child safety.

“When I got talking to the man (who lived in the house) he told me he was a ‘registered pedophile’ but that ‘the kids just keep coming here wanting to hang out at my house’,” the youth worker said.

The teenagers, she said, were at the man’s house because “they had nowhere else to go and nothing to do”.

He had been providing them with food and a place to play video games.

The man then told her children had been taken off him by the Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability services.

“He said it was because he used to hang his own children from the clothesline and beat them,” she said.

The worker did not wish to disclose her employer.

The CEO of separate organisation Youth Empowerment Towards Independence, Genevieve Sinclair, said the problem was widespread across Cairns with “highly vulnerable” teenagers aged between 12 and 15 those most likely to be targeted.

“Key drivers of (youth committing) crime are often older adults who exploit vulnerable children,” Ms Sinclair said.

The revelation comes as Operation Kalahari detectives have charged a total of 10 men and two women with a total of 263 charges as part of Operation Uniform Kalahari with 52 child victims.

Many of those victims were homeless, at-risk, young offenders or children under the care of child protection authorities.

Many of the young people who are victims of predators end up becoming criminal offenders themselves.

“I just was astonished. Why are these young people hanging out there? Why don’t they have anywhere else to go or anything to do?”

The revelation comes as Operation Kalahari detectives have charged a total of 10 men and two women with a total of 263 charges as part of Operation Uniform Kalahari with 52 child victims.

Ms Sinclair said the problem of older male sexual predators specifically targeting young teenagers is widespread in Cairns.

“We are always reporting addresses to the police, where we know or suspect this is going on,” she said.

She said young people targeted by pedophiles often have issues in the family home, come from intergenerational poverty, aren’t attending school and are, or will become, young criminal offenders.

“We know there are many child victims of adult sexual offenders in our community,” Ms Sinclair said.

She said many of the children committing offences are victims themselves, adding that often abuse victims end up “very angry kids”.

YETI’s CEO said that while sexual abuse has different impacts on different people, “many of these children often become very angry, and this abuse is what eventually leads some of them to become criminal offenders themselves”.

CEO of Youth Empowered Towards Independence (YETI) Genevieve Sinclair. Picture: Brendan Radke

Ms Sinclair said she would like to see more police resources dedicated to Operation Kalahari and to the wider problem.

CEO of Acts for Kids and psychologist Dr Katrina Lines said sexual predators target children they have access to with around 95 percent of perpetrators already known to their victim or survivor.

“We also know predators seek out children who they think are unprotected, vulnerable or less likely to report their criminal behaviour,” Dr Lines said.

She emphasised the need for young abuse victims to receive “vital support to address their needs to heal from trauma”.

Ms Sinclair encouraged the community to be on the lookout.

“Alert Queensland Police immediately. We also think it’s really brave when victims come forward to talk to organisations like YETI (who can provide support), Sexual Assault Services or the Police,” she said.

Queensland Sexual Assault Line - Call 1800 010 120

Crime Stoppers QLD - 1800 333 000

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

Originally published as ‘The big issue’: How pedophiles are preying on vulnerable young teens in Cairns