Stop the Clock: In Australia, a child is abused every 15 minutes

AMA (NSW) President, Prof Brad Frankum, is today launching the Stop the Clock anti-child abuse campaign at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

“Too many children arrive at hospital with injuries deliberately inflicted by their carers.

“These can range from broken bones, to burns, to head injuries that cause lifelong disability.

“However, even this is just scratching the surface, as physical injury is just a small part of the wider spectrum of child abuse and neglect that affects so many children in Australia.

“And it’s important to note that one kind of abuse rarely happens in isolation, if a child is being physically abused, there is a good chance that other forms of abuse are also present,” Prof Frankum said.

“In 2014-15 there were 42,457 substantiated instances of child abuse in Australia.

“I think we can all agree that even one case is far too many.

“But this is not something that is going away – the number of substantiated cases of child abuse has risen 35 per cent nationally since 2010-11.

“This includes cases of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse.

“We need to do everything we can to prevent cases from happening and to help children who have experienced child abuse or neglect,” Prof Frankum said.

“Child abuse can happen to children of any age in families of any socioeconomic background.

“That said, it’s infants less than one year old who are most likely to be the victims of child abuse and Indigenous children are seven times as likely as non-Indigenous children to experience it,” Prof Frankum said.

“Doctors, hospital staff, social workers and a range of other professionals are often on the front line when it comes to dealing with the outcomes of child abuse.

“AMA (NSW) and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s Child Protection Unit have developed the Stop the Clock website together to provide health professionals with more information.

“However, it also provides members of the general public with useful contacts in the event that they suspect a child they know is being abused.

“And for children themselves, especially those experiencing abuse, the website provides the strong message that there is something you can do, there is help available, and that things can get better,” Prof Frankum said.

The Stop the Clock concept was created for the campaign by the Joy Agency and we are grateful for the time and effort donated by everyone at Joy as well as the artist, Eadie.

Media contact: Lachlan Jones 0419 402 955