Family violence against children rises sharply in Australia, study finds
Representative image: Jupilu / Pixabay
A University of Sydney study published October 14, 2026 found recorded family violence against Australian children rose 8-20% a year from about 2020.
What Happened
Recorded violence against children in Australia, including family violence and sexual assault, rose sharply between 2014 and 2024, according to a University of Sydney study published in the journal JAMA Network Open on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. The researchers, led by Dr Lucy Grummitt, analysed national police, hospital and child protection data and found that family violence-related assaults against children climbed by 8% to 20% a year from around 2020. Grummitt described the situation as a crisis and called on all levels of government to respond.
Key Facts
- The study was published in JAMA Network Open on 14 October 2026 by researchers at the University of Sydney.
- It used Australian administrative data from 2014 to 2024: police-recorded assaults, hospital admissions and child protection records.
- Recorded sexual assault rose by 32% for girls aged 0 to 9 and by 51% for girls aged 10 to 17 over the decade.
- For boys aged 10 to 17, recorded sexual assault rose by 60% over the ten years.
- Among boys, much of the rise came from 2021, with an increase of more than 50% in three years.
- Family violence-related assaults rose sharply from around 2020 for both boys and girls, by 8% to 20% a year up to 2024.
- The researchers say part of the increase may reflect more reporting, since the data count recorded cases, not all cases.
Why It Matters
Family is meant to be a child's safest place, so violence inside the home is a central concern for anyone working on child welfare. This study is important because it brings together three different official records, police, hospitals and child protection services, rather than relying on one. When all three point in the same direction, it is harder to dismiss the trend as a quirk of how one agency counts cases.
The timing of the increase is also telling. The sharpest rises in family violence-related assaults began around 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic kept families at home and put many households under financial and emotional strain. The researchers list several possible contributing factors: growing income inequality, the effects of the pandemic, cost-of-living pressures, changing gender norms online, gaps in support services, and greater willingness to report violence. They do not claim that any single factor explains the rise.
The point about reporting cuts both ways. More reporting can mean that more people, including children, teachers and relatives, now recognise abuse and speak up, which is a good thing. But it also means the true scale of harm in earlier years may have been hidden. Either way, the study argues that services have not kept pace with what the records now show.
For families everywhere, including in India, the findings are a reminder that money worries, isolation and stress inside a household can raise the risk to children, and that the adults around a child, parents, grandparents, neighbours and teachers, are often the first to notice when something is wrong.
Recorded sexual assault against children in Australia, 2014 to 2024 Group | Rise over the decade Girls aged 0 to 9 | 32% Girls aged 10 to 17 | 51% Boys aged 10 to 17 | 60%
Impact
Short-term: The study adds pressure on Australia's federal and state governments to fund prevention, family support and child protection services, as the lead researcher has urged.
Long-term: If the causes the researchers point to, such as inequality and cost-of-living stress, are confirmed, child safety policy may need to reach beyond policing into income support, housing and mental-health services for families.
Who is affected: Children and young people, parents and carers under pressure, teachers and health workers who are often the first to spot harm, and governments that run child protection systems.
Key Takeaway
A University of Sydney study published on 14 October 2026 found that recorded family violence and sexual assault against children in Australia rose sharply from 2014 to 2024, with family violence-related assaults climbing 8% to 20% a year from around 2020.
Questions and Answers
What did the University of Sydney study on violence against children find?
Published in JAMA Network Open on 14 October 2026, it found that recorded sexual assault against Australian children rose by 32% for girls aged 0 to 9, 51% for girls aged 10 to 17 and 60% for boys aged 10 to 17 between 2014 and 2024, and that family violence-related assaults rose 8% to 20% a year from around 2020.
Who led the study?
Dr Lucy Grummitt of the University of Sydney led the research, which analysed national police, hospital and child protection data.
Why do the researchers think violence against children has increased?
They point to several possible factors, including income inequality, the COVID-19 pandemic, cost-of-living pressures, changing gender norms online, gaps in support services and more reporting of violence.
Does the rise mean more children are being harmed, or more cases are being reported?
Possibly both. The figures are recorded cases, and the researchers say greater reporting may account for part of the increase, but they still describe the situation as a crisis that governments must address.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
