Welcoming the focus on these issues in National Child Protection Week, Dr Glasson said child abuse and neglect are serious public health issues that can scar people from childhood to their teens and throughout their adult lives.

"Twenty first century technology is providing great entertainment, communication and leisure opportunities for our kids, but it also brings new and dangerous threats," Dr Glasson said.

"The Internet and mobile phones can bring people closer together, but they can also be used to taunt and intimidate and damage a young person's confidence, self-esteem and health.  For example, the New York Times has recently exposed a new threat to our kids - e-bullying."

The New York Times reports that:

"...technology was lubricating the social lives of teenagers by amplifying standard adolescent cruelty. No longer confined to school grounds or daytime hours, 'cyberbullies' are pursuing their quarries into their own bedrooms. Tools like e-mail messages and Web logs enable the harassment to be both less obvious to adults and more publicly humiliating, as gossip, put-downs and embarrassing pictures are circulated among a wide audience of peers with a few clicks..."

Dr Glasson said e-bullying is proof that child protection today is much more than stopping kids from being physically abused and neglected.

"We need to ensure that our children grow up in a community where they are protected from all forms of harassment and bullying," Dr Glasson said.

"They must be protected from exposure to inappropriate material on the internet such as pornographic images or graphic depictions of violence.

"The AMA welcomes the Government's commitment this week to provide funds to limit the spread of child pornography via the Internet, but the program should be expanded to include all aspects of electronic child protection.

"We need to make sure all Australians have the best opportunity to reach their full potential by protecting their physical and mental health when they are young," Dr Glasson said.

The AMA set out its position on child abuse policy in Key Health Issues for the 2004 Election (see attached).

8 September 2004

CONTACT:         Judith Tokley             (02) 6270 5471 / (0408) 824 306

Public Health

 

4.9       Child Abuse

 

Background

Child protection is a serious public health issue that is complicated by a system that is fragmented by differing approaches and regulations across State and Territory boundaries.

There is an increasing rate of reported/suspected cases of child abuse and neglect and an increased number of substantiated cases in all parts of Australia.  Indigenous children are at an even higher risk of child abuse and neglect than other groups.

Key Issues for Patients

There is now evidence that adverse childhood experiences are very common and that such experiences are strong predictors of health behaviours in adolescence and adult life.  Other factors that can lead to an increased risk of child abuse and neglect are changes in family structures such as:

• A marked increase in the number of children who live in families where there is no adult in paid employment.
• The increasing number of single parent families which, for many children, means living in poverty and being in close contact with men with whom they have no kinship ties and who may pose a greater risk of abuse.
• More children are growing up in families where parents are drug or alcohol dependent, or have a mental illness or a degree of intellectual disability.
• The children of persons held in immigration detention are of special concern. These children have a ten-fold increase in the rate of mental disorders subsequent to detention.

Key Issues for Governments

The prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect needs a multi-disciplinary approach that involves medical, nursing, teaching, childcare, social work, law and both non-government and government agencies working together.  Governments must provide support and education for parents to help prevent child abuse and neglect from occurring.

AMA Position

The AMA endorses the World Medical Association Statement on Child Abuse and Neglect, which states that the rights of children to be free of abuse and neglect take priority over any rights of adults.

The AMA recognises the need to view child abuse and neglect as a serious public health issue.

The AMA calls upon the Government to form a national policy for child abuse and recovery that is accepted by all States and Territories.

The AMA calls upon the Australian Government to ensure that children in immigration detention receive the same level of health and welfare services as all Australian children.