The Child Abuse Prevention Service (CAPS) strongly commends the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People for commissioning the Economic Cost of Violence Against Children and Young People report.
The report, which was released today, focuses on violence against children and young people aged 0-24. It reveals that in addition to the immeasurable physical and emotional impacts, childhood domestic violence is also a tremendous economic burden on the community.
Key findings include:
· In 2016-17, there were an estimated 154,302 cases of violence against children and young people - that is an average of 18 children an hour, every hour
· Violence against children and young people costs NSW $11.2 billion annually
· $2.3 billion of this is borne by NSW health, education child protection, housing and justice systems directly
· $8.2 billion is borne by individuals and the broader community and $600 million by the Federal Government.
The full report is available at www.nowandforever.nsw.gov.au/cost.
CAPS CEO, Tracy McLeod Howe, said that "We would like to thank the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People for putting a spotlight on the prevalence and economic costs of violence against children. CAPS and its partner organisation, Childhood Domestic Violence Australia, will continue to speak out about the devastating human costs of childhood domestic violence because we are sadly aware that childhood impacts are too often forgotten".
The report findings also highlight the need for a cross-sectoral, collaborative approach to ensuring that the most vulnerable members of society are kept safe and are free to develop to their full potential.
Examining how all areas of society need to work together to protect our children will be just one of the key topics to be discussed at the CAPS Safe Children Conference in Sydney on 22 October 2019. The annual event provides the platform for the national conversation on child protection matters, ensuring that the issue receives the attention it deserves long after the conclusion of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
