CEO of Bravehearts believes parents should be educating children on the dangers of child sexual abuse.
Following the arrest of a Queensland former childhood educator on 1,623 child abuse offences, CEO of Bravehearts Alison Geale believes both parents and children should receive education on the topic.
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“We all as community members, parents, carers, sporting groups, schools, education centres, day-care centres, we all have the obligation to help protect them,” she said.
“So, we also need to know what to do if a little child speaks up.”
Ms Geale told The Sector that all Early Childhood Education and Care facilities and staff should have tools necessary to identify sexual abuse in a child.
“All child facing organisations, including ECEC settings, should have child safeguarding as a priority,” she said.
“Policies and procedures which impact children’s safety need to be understood, adhered to, and have rigor. The more detailed the training, the more aware educators can become to the signs of possible child sexual abuse in children and importantly signs of grooming in both children and adults.”
Ms Geale said that by educating children through age-appropriate programs, this could decrease “vulnerability”.
Bravehearts offer a number of different programs to help educate both children and adults on the safety skills dangers and signs of child abuse.
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