In 1965 a paper entitled ‘The Battered-Child’ Syndrome in South Australia’ was published by Lois Wurfel and George M. Maxwell in The Australian Paediatric Journal. The authors reported a study of 26 children with ‘battered baby syndrome’, 8 of whom subsequently died. The authors concluded, ‘It is recommended that all such cases should be reported to a central authority, and that model legislation be considered for the protection of these patients, and of the reporting physicians.’ Legislation has been enacted, but 60 years later we are only just becoming aware of the extent of maltreatment and the individual, family, and social cost.
Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS)
Published in 2023 as a supplement in the Journal of the Australian Medical Association, The Australian Child Maltreatment study reports on the ‘first national survey in the world to study in detail the experiences and associated health and social outcomes of all five forms of child maltreatment’. These comprise physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence. Data was collected from 8503 Australians aged 16 years and older to gather detailed information of experiences of maltreatment and the physical and emotional price paid.
What Does the Data Tell Us?
This study provides the first accurate estimates of child maltreatment in Australia with the disturbing finding by Higgins et al that 62% of Australians share this experience. Most of these suffered more than one form of abuse with nearly a quarter experiencing 3 to 5 types of maltreatment. Where a child experienced only one form of maltreatment this was most commonly exposure to domestic violence which was also present with multi-maltreatment patterns. For many children, these events occurred repeatedly over years.
A comparison across age groups shows a decrease in younger people experiencing physical and some types of sexual abuse with the authors attributing this to growing awareness of the harm these events caused to children.
Childhood sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect were reported by more women than men and gender diverse participants were over-represented in all forms of maltreatment. In this study the demographic characteristics of respondents was similar to the Australian population in relation to gender, indigenous status, region and remoteness category of residence, and marital status.
Where to From Here?
In 1965 Wurfel and Maxwel wrote ‘There is a need for model legislation (cf. ‘Time’, 1965), to protect the person laying a charge of parental violence, and to allow access to, and supervision of, the children and parents concerned.’ In 2023 Scott and Mathews in their introduction to the Australian Child Maltreatment Study report reiterate ‘Public health initiatives are needed urgently to prevent the maltreatment of Australian children’. Despite the grim statistics there is reason for optimism. The decline in reports of physical and sexual violence attest to the value of public health initiatives and the need for continued policy and prevention strategies especially in relation to emotional abuse and exposure to domestic violence. In the author’s words, these initiatives are ‘a moral imperative and a nation- building necessity.’
Mathews B. (co-ordinating author) The Australian Child Maltreatment Study supplement to The Medical Journal of Australia April 2023 Volume 218 No 6
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