Child safety push hits home with multicultural communities

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ustralia’s national child sexual abuse prevention campaign has continued to build engagement among multicultural communities, with translated resources attracting more than 65,000 page views and over 2,200 downloads since the initiative began in 2023.

The Australian Government’s One Talk at a Time campaign was launched as the country’s first national campaign focused on preventing child sexual abuse. According to campaign figures, the broader website has been accessed more than 2.2 million times by 1.4 million unique users.

A key driver of the multicultural outreach has been My superhero voice, a children’s storybook created by Cultural Perspectives in collaboration with the National Office for Child Safety. The book is designed to help children learn about personal safety through culturally inclusive and age-appropriate content.

The resource has been translated into 17 languages and is available in print and audio formats, alongside the English version. Since its release in September 2024, it has been downloaded nearly 830 times, with the highest uptake among Chinese Simplified and Traditional, Farsi, Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese and Punjabi-speaking communities.

More than 5,000 hard copies have been distributed to early childhood services across Australia, while community organisations have received the resource through 35 information sessions involving more than 500 participants from 10 culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

The campaign has also expanded beyond written resources. Six community case studies featuring parents, carers and service providers have been developed to show how families have used the campaign’s materials to discuss body safety with children. An interactive card game has also been introduced to support conversations about child safety in family settings.

Nishi Puri OAM, founder and chair of the Multicultural Association of Canberra, said the response reflected the value of culturally appropriate resources.

“We know that culturally and linguistically diverse communities are not hard to reach, they simply need resources that reflect their experiences,” she said.

“My superhero voice is a strong example of this. The storybook is culturally safe and easy to use, supporting families in having that first conversation about body safety. Families with which we have shared the book have shown a genuine willingness to use this resource.”

The One Talk at a Time campaign forms part of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030, which provides a nationally coordinated framework for preventing abuse, protecting children and supporting victims and survivors.

Child protection organisations have long argued that prevention efforts are most effective when communities have access to information in languages they understand and in formats that are culturally appropriate. Research has also highlighted that parents and carers often need practical tools to help start conversations about personal safety with children.

The latest engagement figures suggest there is sustained demand for translated child safety resources across a range of multicultural communities, with both online and community-based distribution contributing to the campaign’s reach.

Support services are available nationally for anyone affected by child sexual abuse or related issues, including Lifeline, 1800RESPECT, 13YARN, Bravehearts and the Blue Knot Foundation.

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