Alarming surge in child rape revealed as 10 years of police data laid bare

Never-before-released Queensland Police data has revealed the shocking number of child sex abuse offences recorded in Queensland since 2015.

young girl sitting down alone in the dark.

Almost 60,000 child sex charges have been laid in Queensland in the past 10 years, with alarming surges in rape and sexual assault of children.

In never-before-released Queensland Police Service data, the ­reality of the state’s child sex crimes has been laid bare, with more than 6300 ­offences ­recorded in 2024-25.

On average, more than 5700 horrific child sex offences are happening every year in Queensland.

It comes as the highly anticipated Review of System ­Responses to Child Sexual Abuse report is due to be finalised by the end of the year.

The Courier-Mail understands the report – completed by the Queensland Family and Child Commission – will highlight a need for more staff in QPS’s Taskforce Argos and Child Protection teams.

Act For Kids CEO Katrina Lines said the statistics were shocking. “Any offence committed against a child is awful,” Dr Lines said.

“To see the increase in these statistics is shocking and demonstrates how much work there is to do. We need to remember these aren’t just figures – each number represents a child who has experienced significant harm that should have been prevented.”

The data shows 57,555 child sex abuse offences have been recorded in Queensland since 2015. This includes 28,000 charges of indecent treatment of a child in 10 years – the worst overall offence.

Act for Kids CEO Dr Katrina Lines said the increase in statistics was shocking.

In the same period, more than 14,000 offences of rape against a child were also recorded, followed by more than 3000 historical rape offences.

Rape offences have increased 48 per cent in 10 years, and other sexual offences against children have more than tripled.

Despite the overall increase, many offences also saw significant drops including making child exploitation material and indecent treatment of a child.

Dr Lines said preventing the complex and socially entrenched problem was imperative.

“We have spent many years advocating for and will continue to call for nationally harmonised working with children checks and a national reportable conduct scheme, preventive education for parents, children and the community, raising awareness about this issue and investing in early intervention before a child experiences harm,” Dr Lines said.

A QPS spokeswoman said an increase in charges meant more people were reporting abuse as there was now more awareness and support for victims.

“Young children who are the victims of sexual abuse or online exploitation need an adult in their lives to hear them, believe them and act,” she said.

“For many families, a lot has already happened before police are told about a sexual offence against a child.

“It can be extremely difficult for a child to disclose something has happened to them.”

The spokeswoman said police had dedicated officers with extensive training to understand and respond to reports of child sex crimes.

Originally published as Alarming surge in child rape revealed as 10 years of police data laid bare