{"id":697820,"date":"2025-11-02T00:05:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T21:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T00:05:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T21:05:10","slug":"how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond\/","title":{"rendered":"How common is sexually abusive behavior between children? How should daycare centers respond?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af6eddab9070\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af6eddab9070\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond\/#What_does_the_data_say\" >What does the data say?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond\/#Is_the_problem_getting_worse\" >Is the problem getting worse?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond\/#Why_is_this_happening\" >Why is this happening?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond\/#How_can_centers_respond\" >How can centers respond?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond\/#How_should_childcare_centers_talk_about_bodies\" >How should childcare centers talk about bodies?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behavior-between-children-how-should-daycare-centers-respond\/#We_should_not_demonize_little_kids\" >We should not demonize little kids<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/daycare-1.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/daycare-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/daycare-1.jpg\" alt=\"daycare\" title=\"Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Parents have spoken about harrowing cases of their young children being abused by other children in daycare centers, as part of an <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-10-30\/child-on-child-abuse-is-the-fresh-childcare-system-horror\/105947226\" target=\"_blank\">ABC investigation<\/a> into the New South Wales sector.<\/p>\n<p>How common is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2025\/oct\/29\/allegations-violence-abuse-neglect-victoria-childcare-rise-ntwnfb\" target=\"_blank\">sexually abusive behavior between children<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>Why does it h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en? And what can daycare centers do about it?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_the_data_say\"><\/span>What does the data say?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There is no national data to track these incidents in childcare centers.<\/p>\n<p>The national childcare regulator reports on the number of &#8220;serious incidents.&#8221; But there is a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-many-serious-incidents-are-happening-in-australian-childcare-centres-we-dont-really-know-260410\" target=\"_blank\">lack of detail<\/a> around what these involve and they don&#8217;t even necessarily include child abuse.<\/p>\n<p>States and territories also report on &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.parliament.vic.gov.au\/4aaeef\/globalassets\/tabled-paper-documents\/tabled-paper-9501\/commission-for-children-and-young-people-2024-25-annual-report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">reportable conduct allegations<\/a>&#8221; (claims of abuse of children) in early childhood. But there are inconsistent standards, expectations and enforcement mechanisms across jurisdictions.<\/p>\n<p>The best data we have about all forms of child sexual abuse is from the 2023 <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.acms.au\/\" target=\"_blank\">Australian Child Maltreatment Study<\/a>. As <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0145213423005501?via%3Dihub\" target=\"_blank\">part of the study<\/a>, a nationally representative sample of 8,503 Australians aged 16 and older were asked about their experiences of child maltreatment, including child sexual abuse.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, 28.5% of the group reported they had experienced child sexual abuse. The interviewer then asked who did this to them. As a proportion of the population, here&#8217;s what they said about abuse from other young people:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>10% of Australians reported child sexual abuse from other known children or adolescents (not romantic partners)<\/li>\n<li>2.5% reported sexual abuse from adolescent romantic partners<\/li>\n<li>1.4% reported sexual abuse from an unknown adolescent<\/li>\n<li>1.6% reported sexual abuse from a sibling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As the study relied on adults recalling childhood experiences, it may mean it&#8217;s an under-representation of cases, particularly very early in childhood.<\/p>\n<p>We need a lot more data about what&#8217;s going in the early years.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_the_problem_getting_worse\"><\/span>Is the problem getting worse?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Nevertheless, the Australian Child Maltreatment Study study suggests sexual abuse between peers is becoming more common.<\/p>\n<p>Those aged 16\u201324 were more likely to have been sexually abused by a peer (18.2%) than by an adult (11.7%). Older age groups were more likely to have been abused by adults. For example, of those aged 25\u201344, 14.1% reported having experienced child sexual abuse by another young person, compared to 17.9% by an adult.<\/p>\n<p>This pattern suggests we have made some progress in reducing the rates of adult perpetrated child sexual abuse, but sexual abuse between peers is increasing.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_this_happening\"><\/span>Why is this happening?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We can understand this at both an individual and situational level.<\/p>\n<p>If a child is engaging in harmful or abusive sexual behaviors, this may be because they have been exposed to sexual abuse, violence in the home, pornography, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/learning.nspcc.org.uk\/research-resources\/statistics-briefings\/harmful-sexual-behaviour-hsb\" target=\"_blank\">or other trauma<\/a>. They may be reenacting or processing something they have seen or experienced.<\/p>\n<p>But there are also <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/13552600.2022.2117429\" target=\"_blank\">situational factors<\/a> that enable this behavior, such as a lack of supervision. We know this is an <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-10-30\/poor-supervision-leading-to-child-on-child-abuse-in-childcare-\/105953950\" target=\"_blank\">issue in childcare centers<\/a> if there are low staff numbers, educators are overworked or there is a lack of adequate training.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_centers_respond\"><\/span>How can centers respond?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalcentre.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/NC_Snapshot_In_Coversation_HSB_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Research tells us<\/a> we need to create safe environments for little (and bigger) kids. On top of adequate supervision, this means:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>everyone, from kids to educators and parents, understands body safety (what is appropriate touching? What are healthy boundaries?)<\/li>\n<li>everyone is able to recognize if something is not right<\/li>\n<li>everyone feels safe to talk to someone if they need to<\/li>\n<li>trusted adults take incidents or concerns seriously.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This then means, even if a child is at risk of harming a peer or inappropriate touching\u2014there is little chance they will have the opportunity to do so. And there is a culture to support healthy interactions between kids.<\/p>\n<p>It should not matter who is in the room or the playground, every child deserves to feel and be safe.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_should_childcare_centers_talk_about_bodies\"><\/span>How should childcare centers talk about bodies?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Children are naturally interested in their bodies and other people&#8217;s bodies. This is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk\/advice\/concerned-about-a-child-or-young-persons-sexual-behaviour\/how-to-tell-if-a-childs-sexual-behaviour-is-appropriate-for-their-age\/\" target=\"_blank\">part of growing up<\/a> and learning about their world.<\/p>\n<p>If curious children do something inappropriate, good quality childcare centers will deal with these episodes calmly, as they arise. For example, a child might say, &#8220;I felt yuck because Sam asked me to pull down my pants.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Educators should respond in a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/learning.nspcc.org.uk\/child-abuse-and-neglect\/harmful-sexual-behaviour\/managing-incidents\" target=\"_blank\">kind, empathetic way<\/a> and not shame anyone involved.<\/p>\n<p>They can use the situation to explain we don&#8217;t ask our friends to do this. And just because someone asks us to do something to or with our bodies, it does not mean we have to say yes. We often think of consent education being the job of high schools, but this education needs to start <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unesdoc.unesco.org\/ark:\/48223\/pf0000183281\" target=\"_blank\">much earlier<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Educators can also model this. For example, with little children, they should let them know they will be changing their nappy. For example, &#8220;You need a nappy change because you&#8217;ve done a wee. Do you want Alex or Kim to do it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This teaches children a safe adult only touches your genitals for the purposes of care or hygiene, and always with communication and respect.<\/p>\n<p>These micro-level practices build up over time. Ideally, they can also help show parents what is healthy and safe behavior.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_should_not_demonize_little_kids\"><\/span>We should not demonize little kids<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Lastly, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hub.jhu.edu\/magazine\/2018\/spring\/children-who-are-child-sexual-abusers\/\" target=\"_blank\">we should not demonize<\/a> children who engage in harmful sexual behavior. Most children <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1077559508314510\" target=\"_blank\">do not<\/a> go on to offend later in life.<\/p>\n<p>What they need is support, guidance and supervision, not stigma or exclusion. While schools or childcare centers sometimes isolate children who have harmed others, exclusion rarely addresses the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/publications\/working-children-young-people-displayed-harmful-sexual-behaviour-evidence-based-guidance-professionals-working-children-young-people\/\" target=\"_blank\">root cause<\/a> and can make the problem worse.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, we need to create opportunities for positive, healthy relationships and help children experience safe and appropriate forms of touch. For example, high-fives, hand-holding and hugs within clear boundaries and supportive adult supervision.<\/p>\n<p>Abusive behaviors between children are deeply distressing, but are also preventable. By ensuring strong supervision, body safety education from early years, and responding to children with empathy rather than fear, we can protect kids.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Conversation<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/medx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-common-is-sexually-abusive-behaviour-between-children-how-should-daycare-centres-respond-268760\" target=\"_blank\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/268760\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/>\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 How common is sexually abusive behavior between children? How should daycare centers respond? (2025, November 1)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 1 November 2025<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-10-common-sexually-abusive-behavior-children.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n                                            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2025-10-common-sexually-abusive-behavior-children.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain Parents have spoken about harrowing cases of their young children being abused by other children in daycare centers, as part of an ABC investigation into the New South Wales sector. How common is sexually abusive behavior between children? Why does it happen? And what can daycare centers do about it? What&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":697821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/daycare-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-697820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=697820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/697821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=697820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=697820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=697820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}