Raped toddler sent back to mother

Within months of being raped, a girl was taken to live in a remote community with no permanent police presence.

Within months of being raped, a girl was taken to live in a remote community with no permanent police presence more than 300km from a major centre.

But Northern Territory child protection authorities say the ­victim, now five, is thriving.

The sexual assault of the then two-year-old in Tennant Creek in February 2018 shocked the ­nation, put the outback town under intense scrutiny and revealed the failings of child protection authority Territory Families.

After the rape, the child was flown to Alice Springs Hospital before being transferred to Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital where she underwent surgery for genital injuries, ­required a blood transfusion and tested positive for gonorrhoea. She was suffering from ear infections, head lice, ringworm and skin sores.

The NT Children’s Commissioner found the girl and her siblings had been the subject of 52 notifications to child protection agencies since 2002. The notifications related to concerns ­regarding experience of, and ­exposure to, domestic violence and parental substance abuse, truancy, neglect, emotional harm, physical harm and sexual abuse of the children.

In April 2018 the South Australian Department of Child Protection removed the girl and her younger sibling from their ­mother’s care before, weeks later, transferring the children into the care of Territory Families, which immediately “reunified” the children with their mother.

Territory Families deputy chief executive Jeanette Kerr has defended the decision to return the children, despite the girl’s traumatic ordeal and neglect.

“There was no order, so the mother was completely entitled to resume care of her,” she said. “Someone broke into the house. He was not known to the family. It wasn’t like, in our view, there was any failure on the part of the mum.”

Last year Kingsley Corbett, 27, was jailed for the attack. The court heard he had sneaked into the girl’s home during the night and snatched her from her mother’s side before raping her in an adjacent room.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Alice Springs Deputy Mayor and director of the Indigenous research program at the Centre for Independent Studies, said returning the girl to her mother so ­quickly after the rape “doesn’t stack up”.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says families are very quick to return children to circumstances that are potentially dangerous. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“This is an ongoing issue with Territory Families being very quick to return children to circumstances that could potentially, once again, be very dangerous,” she said. “Territory Families is more concerned with the reunification with family as opposed to, I believe, upholding the human rights of these children. Ultimately it’s race-based discrimination against children because they’re Indigenous.”

Ms Price said she feared for vulnerable children living in ­remote communities.

“I believe children are re­traumatised by being placed in circumstances in remote communities that I don’t believe any child should have to live under,” she said. “There’s no such thing as a dry community and perpetrators don’t necessarily need ­alcohol to be perpetrators either.

“There’s probably more likelihood (of child abuse) due to the lack of police presence. If there are opportunists, they will take those sorts of opportunities.”

The mother told The Australian she was “really happy” to have her children back with her “out bush”.

“That’s all in the past and we’re living a good life now,” she said. “We’ve all moved on. We’re moving forward. We’re not going backward.”

The 39-year-old said her daughter had “not really” recovered from the trauma of rape but was doing well. The girl’s father, who was in jail at the time of her rape for assaulting her mother, is back living in Tennant Creek.

Ms Kerr said Territory Families had implemented a “strengthening families plan” — which entailed a comprehensive safety plan, ongoing monitoring and support — for the victim, her mother and siblings.

“The family is doing exceptionally well and we made sure that when they came back to the Territory, we put in place a whole range of support mechanisms for them, including (providing) a house,” she said. “We had a house refurbed at a remote community because they didn’t have suitable accommodation.”

Territory Families had the house fitted out with furniture and provided kids’ doonas, bikes and a trampoline.

“In terms of this matter, we don’t believe there are any safety issues and haven’t for quite some time,” Ms Kerr said. “There’s been no concerns from us in the last 2½ years or thereabouts since they’ve been back living together.

“There have been no concerns reported to us or that we have identified for the family.”

The department said it had maintained contact with the family and its staff visited the community about once a month.

“They’ve actually been going terrifically,” Ms Kerr said. “The little girl and her siblings and mum are all together and doing really well. Of course, there’s ­always trauma, but I think there’s a lot of positive signs. We have no concerns.”

Ms Kerr said the little girl has been thriving. “When I last saw her, she was very happy, bubbly, playing with some other small children, really engaging,” she said. “Her and her siblings are happy, bubbly, positive, engaged kids.”

She also said the girl’s mother was “very nurturing and caring”.

“They’ve clearly got a very strong attachment,” she said.

“The kids blossomed when they got back with mum. They’ve got a good home with all of the amenities they need.”

The community is about four hours’ drive on a mostly unsealed road from the closest major centre and 65km from a two-man police station. The road is impassable during heavy rain.

But Ms Kerr said she held no concerns about the child living in such a remote location as it was a dry community with strong local leadership.

“No none at all,” she said. “There’s no alcohol, there’s no people coming around humbugging them and drinking and camping. It’s a really well-functioning community and police are an hour away at most.”

Chief Minister Michael Gunner told The Australian he was comfortable with the child’s living arrangements.

“I am limited in what I can say on this because legally we must protect the privacy of this child,” he said.

“What I can say is that I strongly support children being able to live anywhere in the NT, including in remote communities, as long as they are safe and in a healthy and happy environment.

“I have been advised that this child is safe and in a suitable environment. I have also been advised that there is appropriate support and monitoring in place to ensure she remains safe.”

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