The Commissioners responsible for children's rights and gender equality have today called for concerted national action to prevent violence against children and young people.
After a number of horrific violent incidents which resulted in the alleged murders of mothers, young girls and a child in the last week, National Children's Commissioner Deb Tsorbaris has appealed for a renewed focus on the impact of violence on children.
'Children and young people have a right to live free from violence. I'm deeply worried that across the board as a country we are not listening and acting on the things we need to do to prioritise their safety,' Commissioner Tsorbaris said.
'Children and young people tell me we need to stop the violence before it starts. They also tell me the decision makers aren't listening to them.
'We cannot focus on crisis points alone - we need to redouble our efforts on prevention. Well-resourced and coordinated education, health, housing, disability, family support, and domestic violence services and child protection systems are critical. That means states, territories and the Australian Government must work together with the same goal in mind.
'Whether it's violence in families, on social media, peer to peer violence, substance abuse, poor support for mental health or poverty we need to take a root and branch approach to addressing all the issues.
'We have an opportunity as a country to place children at the centre of our decision making with the consultations currently underway for the National Plan to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Children, the National Plan to Protect Australia's Children and the second National Action Plan to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody said: 'We need to listen to what children and young people are telling us. They experience the harmful effects of rigid gender stereotypes in their own, as well as their parents', relationships. These undermine healthy and respectful relationships.
'They deserve a brighter future, and it's the responsibility of adults who make decisions to recognise children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right. We need to listen to their ideas and invest in the systems and families that shape their lives and uphold their right to safety and wellbeing.'
We're talking about stopping violence before it begins: Supporting Quality Engagement with Children , a report released recently by the Australian Human Rights Commission drew on the insights of more than 300 children and young people from across Australia.
It had 8 recommendations for embedding children's voices into all systems that support them and their families including embedding genuine child and youth participation in all relevant national strategies and improving coordination across government on child safety and wellbeing.
The report urges governments to align these actions within the existing national frameworks, rather than creating new initiatives that are disconnected.
