CHILD sexual assault protection campaigner and Bravehearts co-founder Hetty Johnston knows only too well the heartache of what can happen when nothing is done.
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She said the emotional cost was unimaginable to the victims and their loved ones, but there was also a significant financial cost to society generally with the ramifications of children not getting the support they needed.
``We have to have more support from the community and government because we're only resourced from the community to see the children and deliver the show,'' said Ms Johnston, who was in Launceston to meet Braveheart workers and volunteers yesterday.
``What needs to happen is to be seeing the teachers, talking to the teachers and the adults and parents and upskilling them, so the person the child runs and tells understands what's going on and responds properly.''
According to Ms Johnston, through the Bravehearts educational program in some Tasmanian schools, they had so far seen 15,000 children, and of that, one in five or 3000, will be a victim of, or at risk of being, sexually assaulted.
However, through the roll-out of the program half of those children would not be a victim.
She said there was a greater need in Tasmania because there had been less of a response by the government to ensure more was done to educate children.
Ms Johnston said despite initial support by former education minister Lin Thorp to instigate a trial roll-out of the educational program in Tasmanian schools in 2010, the government had done nothing since nor could offer any financial support.
She said it was pleasing that Opposition Leader Will Hodgman had pledged $200,000 if the Liberals won the state election, but that was still not enough to carry out all the work that was required in the state.