Click to edit Master title style FEDERAL MAGISTRATES COURT OF AUSTRALIA “Counting the Cost of Abuse” Chief Federal Magistrate Pascoe, AO CVO

FEDERAL MAGISTRATES COURT OF AUSTRALIA Prevalence of Child abuse and neglect 187,000 child protection notifications in ,000 of these notifications substantiated (AIHW, 2011) 18% of Australians experience abuse before the age of 15 (ABS Personal Safety Survey, 2005)

FEDERAL MAGISTRATES COURT OF AUSTRALIA Economic costs of abuse Child abuse cost the Australian community $10.7 billion in 2007 (Access Economics, 2008); Cost of child abuse in 2002 was almost $5 billion (Keatsdale Consultants, 2003) By comparison, obesity costs the Australian community $8.3 billion annually (Access Economics, 2008)

FEDERAL MAGISTRATES COURT OF AUSTRALIA Child sexual abuse by sub-region Female %Male % Africa (high mortality) Africa (very high mortality) Latin America/Caribbean Eastern Mediterranean East Asia & Pacific Andrews et al., Child sexual abuse, WHO, 2004

FEDERAL MAGISTRATES COURT OF AUSTRALIA Impact of child neglect on brain development These images illustrate the negative impact of neglect on the developing brain. Left: CT scan of healthy 3 yr old with average head size. Right: 3 yr old child suffering from severe sensory-deprivation neglect. Brain is significantly smaller than average and has abnormal development of cortex

FEDERAL MAGISTRATES COURT OF AUSTRALIA Prevention as solution $1.1 billion already spent on government programs designed to prevent child abuse (Access Economics, 2008) $2.5 billion spent on child protection and out- of-home care services on (Productivity Commission)

FEDERAL MAGISTRATES COURT OF AUSTRALIA Prevention as solution “More importantly, the prevention of child abuse and neglect is a critical priority because of the social costs of child abuse and neglect and the imperative to prevent children from experiencing its devastating effects.” National Child Protection Clearinghouse, April 2011