Ayla
15-09-2008, 11:49 AM
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24346720-421,00.html
School kids run gauntlet of sexual predators
By Bruce McDougall and Kelvin Bissett
September 15, 2008 07:48am
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
* Kids being sexually assaulted on approaches to schools
* Figures show there is an incident a week in NSW
* Evidence that stranger danger on the rise
PREDATORS are stalking and assaulting children on their way to and from school - and on school grounds - at a rate of one incident a week in a disturbing outbreak of stranger danger.
Confidential incident reports obtained by The Daily Telegraph detail incidents ranging in severity from "flashing" through to rape, despite millions of dollars having been spent on tighter security in schools across New South Wales.
More than 50 incidents have been recorded by the Department of Education and Training, and passed on to police, in the 12 months to April this year, data obtained by The Daily Telegraph under Freedom of Information shows.
None of the official reports involves individuals known to the victims, or custody disputes.
In the worst cases, a Year 12 female student alleged she was raped on the way to school on February 25, this year.
The victim, who did not make a report until a week later, said the rapist claimed she was "homosexual" and that was why he was assaulting her.
On August 27, 2007, a Year 8 girl said she was dragged into the rear of a van and then assaulted in a laneway near a school in the Bankstown area.
On Sydney's North Shore, a Year 11 female student took a shortcut home through bushland and was attacked by a man in his mid-30s.
She was assaulted and pinned to the ground before escaping.
Evidence of increasing stranger danger follows a switch in emphasis in recent years by child protection groups towards sexual assault within the home, downplaying the risks of attacks by strangers.
The once-widespread safety house network has also virtually shut down because of fading community support.
But the incident reports show strangers are reported to have loitered around schools, even entering playgrounds in search of a student.
One disturbing attack in the Bathurst area, on February 11, involved a Year 9 girl who was grabbed by three intruders as she walked alone up the stairs towards her class.
The victim only escaped after being led out of the school building to the bus bay area where the assailants tried to push her into a car.
An Education Department spokesman said cases of students being approached inappropriately were rare but they did occur.
School kids run gauntlet of sexual predators
By Bruce McDougall and Kelvin Bissett
September 15, 2008 07:48am
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
* Kids being sexually assaulted on approaches to schools
* Figures show there is an incident a week in NSW
* Evidence that stranger danger on the rise
PREDATORS are stalking and assaulting children on their way to and from school - and on school grounds - at a rate of one incident a week in a disturbing outbreak of stranger danger.
Confidential incident reports obtained by The Daily Telegraph detail incidents ranging in severity from "flashing" through to rape, despite millions of dollars having been spent on tighter security in schools across New South Wales.
More than 50 incidents have been recorded by the Department of Education and Training, and passed on to police, in the 12 months to April this year, data obtained by The Daily Telegraph under Freedom of Information shows.
None of the official reports involves individuals known to the victims, or custody disputes.
In the worst cases, a Year 12 female student alleged she was raped on the way to school on February 25, this year.
The victim, who did not make a report until a week later, said the rapist claimed she was "homosexual" and that was why he was assaulting her.
On August 27, 2007, a Year 8 girl said she was dragged into the rear of a van and then assaulted in a laneway near a school in the Bankstown area.
On Sydney's North Shore, a Year 11 female student took a shortcut home through bushland and was attacked by a man in his mid-30s.
She was assaulted and pinned to the ground before escaping.
Evidence of increasing stranger danger follows a switch in emphasis in recent years by child protection groups towards sexual assault within the home, downplaying the risks of attacks by strangers.
The once-widespread safety house network has also virtually shut down because of fading community support.
But the incident reports show strangers are reported to have loitered around schools, even entering playgrounds in search of a student.
One disturbing attack in the Bathurst area, on February 11, involved a Year 9 girl who was grabbed by three intruders as she walked alone up the stairs towards her class.
The victim only escaped after being led out of the school building to the bus bay area where the assailants tried to push her into a car.
An Education Department spokesman said cases of students being approached inappropriately were rare but they did occur.