Video content
The following videos discuss child sexual abuse, trauma, and the experiences of children and families. The content may be distressing or emotionally challenging for some viewers, including people with lived experience and those supporting children and families affected by abuse.
Child sexual abuse can have a profound and lifelong impact on children, families and communities. Preventing, recognising and responding to child sexual abuse is everyone's responsibility. Every interaction with a child or family has the potential to cause further harm or strengthen safety, build trust and support healing.
In Australia, around 1 in 3 girls and almost 1 in 5 boys experience child sexual abuse. For more than three-quarters (78%) of children who experience sexual abuse, it occurs on multiple occasions and in up to 90% of cases, the offender is known to the child or their family.
These realities highlight why every professional, regardless of role or discipline, has a responsibility to recognise concerns, respond appropriately and contribute to a coordinated, trauma-informed approach that places the safety and wellbeing of children at its centre.
Every response matters: Recognising and responding to child sexual abuse
In the following series of videos, we explore the health response to child sexual abuse and how this experience shapes the healing journey.
Children’s Health Queensland is committed to providing compassionate, trauma-informed and culturally safe care that supports the medical, forensic and psychosocial needs of children, young people, and their families or carers.
Please prioritise your wellbeing while watching. We encourage you to engage with the content in a way that feels safe for you, including taking breaks, pausing the videos, or seeking support if needed.
- Video 1: What do children need most after child sexual abuse? (6:01)
- Video 2: How do responses either support healing or cause further harm? (5:22)
- Video 3: What do you wish more people understood about how trauma shows up in children and families? (5:21)
- Video 4: Who is most overlooked in child sexual abuse responses, and why? (4:56)
- Video 5: What do people and organisations need to understand about grooming and offender behaviour? (7:04)
- Video 6: What’s one real change you’d like to see in how people or organisations respond to children who have experienced child sexual abuse? (5:51)
Contact us
- For more information about these resources, email QHCSAS@health.qld.gov.au
- For guidance on medical management, forensic considerations, and next steps in care regarding suspected child sexual abuse, call the QH-CSAS 24/7 Consultation Line for clinicians on 1300 441 496. Clinicians are encouraged to initially consult their local hospital and health service (HHS) paediatric service where available.