Like most people, I read the allegations that a Melbourne childcare worker sexually offended against children in his care with horror and sadness.

Unlike many though, I have first-hand knowledge about child sex offending, the people who perpetrate it and the way victims respond. As a forensic and clinical psychologist, two of the key groups of people I work with are those who offend sexually against minors, and victims of sexual abuse and violence.

The Creative Garden Early Learning Centre where accused man Joshua Dale Brown had worked.Credit: Justin McManus

Working in this field, you see a lot of darkness. Though brazen behaviours like those allegedly exhibited by 26-year-old Joshua Dale Brown are rare, I have come to realise that child sexual abuse is unfortunately common, with about one in four Australians reporting that they were abused as children. This estimate is conservative and does not include online child sex abuse.

Yet while child sexual abuse is common, it’s also hidden, and discussing it is seen as taboo. When the possibility of children being abused is identified, adults – usually their primary caregivers – are often........

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