red baron wrote on Aug 12^th, 2012 at 9:07am:



Yeah red, children are vulnerable, that's why they are targeted by vultures. We really need to protect them much better than we have been. We have to be forever vigilant in checking where they are and who else is there when they're out of our care.

Sleepovers were my biggest dread when my kids were young, you never know who's visiting the house.

The person who looks so innocent, can be the evil child molester.

What to do?

adelcrow wrote on Aug 12^th, 2012 at 9:33am:



It's a natural part of the human condition, for all intents and purposes we haven't evolved from the animals that we used to be.

It was a very common occurrence in the 50's and 60's that an unbelievably high percentage of children were sexually abused in some way. I'm talking about fondling, inappropriate kissing, and genital exposure by the adult, and much worse of course.

I have actually asked women in my age group about this and surprisingly a huge number are only too happy to talk about their childhood experiences that have been covered up for 50 years or more.

Sexual abuse of children was rife and was never talked about, mainly because the victim was made to feel like they were in the wrong, usually getting a beating for telling lies.

Has anything changed with the numbers falling or rising?

I wouldn't have a clue because like back then, it seems that it's still just as hard for children to tell someone that they have been abused.

Sometimes it seems like almost everyone was confronted by some sort of sexual abuse.

Do you think we have advanced somewhat adelcrow?

It's hard to get statistics because most people don't confess until they reach adulthood and many never tell, they take the secret to their grave.

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Aug 12^th, 2012 at 9:00am:


That's why mandatory reporting is important. It shouldn't be up to the producer to make that decision. If it was believed Hughes was flashing or touching the girls inappropriately, then the authorities should have been notified.

MOTR wrote on Aug 12^th, 2012 at 8:57am:


Did I sound like it was a perception? It is a reality that mandatory reporting has not reduced the incidence of child abuse. Firstly, being 'mandatory' doesnt mean it is actually being done. IN fact there was a front page example in SA of exactly that happening in the worst ever case of child abuse in the state. And the over-use of reporting suspicions has led to a higher case load but with no increased discovery of abuse. We have replaced commonsense and integrity with something mandatory. The intentions were good, but thats not the full outcome.

adelcrow wrote on Aug 12^th, 2012 at 9:33am:


Very true. Govts feel compelled to pass laws but they invariably have little to no effect. It remains true that despite the laws and mandatory reporting etc, child abuse remains at the same constant level. it is a problem that has a very deep and poorly understood cause and making new laws is almost always ineffective.

gold_medal wrote on Aug 12^th, 2012 at 1:12pm:


There are a few obvious problems with mandatory reporting.

You get nosey people who see child molesters everywhere. This gets worse when you demand reporting of 'suspicion' rather than actual abuse.

It would be extremely difficult to enforce. In most cases it would be just as easy to prove participation. Common law deals with this a lot better.

Anyone who would actually choose not to report child abuse is hardly the sort of person would be influenced by mandatory reporting requirements.

In my opinion, giving people the tools to recognise the signs would be far more effective than inventing a bureaucracy. People want to protect children. You don't have to force them to do it.

if you know someone is molesting a child and don't report it, can you not also be charged as an accessory after the fact? doesn't that in itself make it mandatory to report child abuse?

it_is_the_light wrote on Aug 12^th, 2012 at 3:20pm:



Yes, and the little boy said he likes going to church, "but gee it makes my bum sore".