Christies Beach Magistrates Court Case Statement
21/06/2011
“The court case at Christies Beach Magistrates Court this morning regarding alleged sexual assaults of children with disabilities by a bus driver is known to my office. However, because of the legal issues surrounding the particular case I will not be making specific comment on that case.
“However, there are problems around the protection of children with disabilities I am able to speak about.
“I have been researching how SAPOL deal with children who have disabilities, and am sad to say that it seems there is a gaping hole in our justice system.
“From the information I have been given so far it seems SAPOL have no specific procedures for interviewing people with disabilities. The only instruction given on this matter is delivered through a compulsory online training program.
“This is particularly concerning when we consider how the police might attempt to interview someone who has communication difficulties.
“The police have no procedures to give a voice to these voiceless people, and that is a terrible injustice.
“The other aspect we must consider when looking at child protection is mandatory reporting. While there are strong mandatory reporting laws in South Australia, we need to be very careful that people who work around kids with disabilities understand that these kids may exhibit signs of abuse differently.
“Most children in South Australia are protected by strong child protection measures, children with disabilities are not. Our Government departments need to address this issue immediately.”
