Let’s protect our children

Warwick residents are urged to make a difference in a child’s life by supporting White Balloon Day and Child Protection Week.
Although White Balloon Day was held yesterday at the ABC Learning Centre, Warwick, it’s not too late to stand up and say NO to child sexual assault.
In Australia, 59,000 children are sexually assaulted every year, with an estimated one in five children sexually assaulted before their 18th birthday.
From all corners of our ‘lucky country’, 1134 of our children are being sexually assaulted every week. That’s 162 children every day; nearly seven (6.75) every hour, or one child about every nine minutes who is suffering the heartbreak and trauma of sexual assault at the hands of a predator who, in 80 to 90 per cent of cases, is a relative or a trusted family friend, with only 10 to 20 per cent of cases occurring at the hands of a stranger.
White Balloon Day, a national focus of Child Protection Week September 5-11, is the initiative of Bravehearts Inc and the only national annual campaign taking the fight against child sexual assault to every corner of Australia with the vision of making Australia the safest place in the world to raise a child.
Recognised as the leading independent child protection agency in Australia, Bravehearts’ charter addresses all facets relating to child sexual assault including prevention, specialist therapy, support, education, research, advocacy, legislative reforms and online resources – all making a remarkable, quantifiable and positive difference in the protection of Australia’s children against sexual assault.
Bravehearts’ founder and executive director Hetty Johnston said, “In Australia, there are three critical factors in preventing child sexual assault – educating children to identify inappropriate behaviour and empowering them to tell someone when they feel unsafe; and educating parents and adults in the many ways we can protect our children from harm.
“Parents, teachers, carers, child protection workers, counsellors and so on, all need to learn the symptoms of child sexual assault so, if they notice significant changes in behaviour, increased fears,  Continued from page 1
or physical symptoms in a child, they can talk to the child to discuss what they might be feeling and then take action to protect them if the child discloses,” Ms Johnston said.
“Bravehearts believes communities in every corner of Australia have a responsibility to get involved in protecting their children by saying NO to child sexual assault.
“By working together, we can help give a voice to those touched by this issue, raise vital funds to support our programs that educate, empower and protect Aussie children and help make Australia the safest place in the word to raise a child,” she said.
Visit www.whiteballoonday.com.au to make a donation.