Queensland Courts Overwhelmed by 'Tsunami' of Child Abuse Offenders

A surge of alleged child abuse offenders is overwhelming Queensland courts, with over 1,400 people dealt with for related crimes in the state every year. New research has identified 15 risk factors that can contribute to a person committing child sexual abuse, highlighting the need for early intervention and support.

Rising convictions for child abuse offences

Twenty years of sentencing data shows convictions for one of the most serious related offences are up by more than 60 per cent. Experts say the rate of child sexual abuse offending in Queensland "is going in the wrong direction".

"The reality is we've got rates that are terrifying", Beth McNamara from The Daniel Morcombe Foundation said. "It's going up."

Beth McNamara stressed that women also commit these crimes. "It's really important that we acknowledge that because there's people in the community who have been impacted by female offending," she said.

Risk factors for child sexual abuse

A new study has identified 15 "risk factors" Australian researchers say can contribute to a person first committing child sexual abuse. Dr Sarah Napier from the Australian Institute of Criminology said the issue must not be "swept under the rug", and noted it was also important to address child-on-child sexual abuse.

"It's something that not many people want to talk about because it's involving children as perpetrators," she said. "We have to address it through early intervention, getting support for both the child perpetrator and the child victim so that the offending doesn't escalate."

Court data reveals extent of problem

Reviewing one month of Brisbane Magistrate Court lists shows more than 120 adults faced over 750 child abuse-specific charges, including indecent treatment of a child, carnal knowledge and grooming offences. "It's a tsunami," Ms McNamara said.

ABS data shows more than 4,000 sexual assault victims who reported to Queensland Police last year were under the age of 18, and more than 90 per cent of adults abused as children have never reported it.

Most common perpetrators

Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council figures dating back to 2005 show more than 95 per cent of people sentenced for child abuse specific crimes during that time were men. The most common demographic sentenced for repeated sexual conduct with a child between 2005 and 2021 was non-Indigenous men in their mid to late 30s, living in south-east Queensland.

However, offenders spanned every age group, from children through to adults in their 80s.

Role of internet in child abuse offending

Both Ms McNamara and Dr Napier pointed to the internet's role, particularly through access to child exploitation material. Ms McNamara said many people being apprehended did not start out with paedophilic tendencies. "They're having arousal as they're watching it and that is progressing to them having further witnessing of child sexual abuse material," she said. "We need to prevent it at scale."

Dr Napier said there is a "significant" association between offenders and whether a person's first sexual exposure was appropriate for their age and development. "A very common pathway to child sexual abuse material was viewing adult pornography, and moving on to more atypical pornography, involving adults, bestiality, rape, violence or force … or other paraphilias," she said.

Prevention and intervention

Dr Napier said psychological treatment can intervene when someone first recognises they are having problematic fantasies, potentially preventing future offending. The AIC review Dr Napier co-authored drew on 15 years of studies from Australia, the United States, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Ms McNamara said this context matters, given survivors often already carry shame and stigma. "The vast majority of people who get sexually abused do not go on to cause abuse to others," she said. "In fact, they're actually the champions within our sector trying to prevent them."