Fears kids will continue to experience serious sexual violence unless action is taken

Victoria’s most vulnerable kids are being sexually exploited in the state’s broken child protection system, with urgent action needed to fix the problems.

Liana Buchanan says children in residential care remain at extreme risk of harm. Picture: Jason Edwards

Victoria’s independent commissioner for young people is demanding urgent action to fix the child protection system, which is so broken that 165 children have been sexually exploited in residential care in less than two years.

Liana Buchanan has written to the Andrews government and Victoria Police warning that inaction on her recommendations is allowing organised crime figures and predators to routinely abuse some of the state’s most ­vulnerable kids.

In its 2021–22 annual report, the commission found there was a 28 per cent increase in sexual exploitation incidents.

More than 423 such incidents have been recorded for 165 kids in residential care since July 2021, when the Commissioner for Children and Young people handed down a major report into the problem.

It was the latest in a string of reports into issues plaguing the system, with evidence suggesting the true figures are “likely far higher” because of significant under-reporting.

A shocking 165 children have been sexually exploited in residential care in less than two years.

But over that time, Ms Buchanan says the Andrews government and Victoria Police have not done nearly enough to fix these problems and act on her recommendations.

Daniel Andrews rejected the commissioner’s criticism of his government but assured that “extra effort, extra funding” in the sector would be visible in the upcoming budget.

“She’s got an important role to do, an important job to do, but it wouldn’t always mean that I agree with every contention that you put forward,” he said.

“We have invested billions of additional dollars in this sector.

We’ll always have to do more when it comes to keeping our most vulnerable kids safe… that comes with a very considerable cost. But it’s an investment that we have to make.”

Ms Buchanan has written to the police chief commissioner and the Child Protection Minister, sharing this data and calling on them to get on with the job.

“It’s clear that without stronger action, children in residential care remain at extreme risk of harm due to criminal ­activity by adults,” she said.

“For the month of March, we received 25 reports of children being exploited.

“All of the communications are that it’s going to be a bad budget. But a bad budget for these kids will be devastating and it will mean they will continue to experience serious sexual violence and abuse.

“I’ve released this data because to be completely frank there are only so many reports of children being sexually ­assaulted in exchange for drugs or money that I can read without feeling that I need to speak out. We are letting them down because we are not prioritising their protection.”

Ms Buchanan is demanding urgent action to fix the system. Picture: Jason Edwards

The commission has received reports that show children in residential care are being targeted with offers of drugs or money if they leave and meet up with predators in cars, homes or hotels.

Shockingly, 64 per cent of the incidents recorded since July 2021 involve under-16s.

“We’ve seen some investment to try and improve residential care but nothing since 2020 and that only touched a very small percentage. There hasn’t been enough action,” Ms Buchanan said.

One of her key recommendations was to reinstate a joint sexual exploitation program where police, child protection and other agencies worked ­together to intervene and save high-risk kids. This was trialled in 2016 and was found to be effective but was discontinued, with the commissioner in 2021 calling for it to return.

“I can’t tell you how frustrating is for me to have seen a model that held some promise of protecting these children and to have seen agencies step away from that,” she said.

A Department of Families, Fairness and Housing spokesman issued an apology, saying they were taking action by employing extra staff who specialise in preventing sexual exploitation in the sector and training frontline workers.