A 16-year-old boy has been charged over the alleged rape of a four-year-old boy in a remote Northern Territory community.
It is at least the second such incident in the Barkly region, after a two-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in Tennant Creek last month.
The 16-year-old is scheduled to appear in the Alice Springs youth court on Tuesday, to face one charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
The NT police child abuse taskforce was investigating the alleged attack, which reportedly occurred on Sunday, and said it was not seeking anyone else in relation to the matter.
The territory families minister, Dale Wakefield, said a full team of staff was on the ground as part of the child abuse taskforce.
“They are working alongside police and engaging with the family and the community,” she said.
“We have also spoken to the children’s commissioner and will keep her informed of any developments.
“It is heartbreaking for any child anywhere to be harmed. Every child deserves a childhood where they are safe and given pathways to reach their full potential.”
A 24-year-old charged with sexually assaulting a two-year-old in Tennant Creek is scheduled to appear in court in April.
That alleged incident prompted emergency measures by NT authorities, including the immediate deployment of extra Territory Families department staff and the implementation of strict alcohol restrictions on Tennant Creek.
The community where the latest alleged assault happened is one of about 100 in the NT with restrictions or bans on drinking alcohol.
Steve Edgington, the mayor of Tennant Creek, said there had been “immediate learnings” after the alleged assault in his town.
Edgington said there was a clear need to decentralise government resources and divert them to identified hotspots of disadvantage.
“What needs to be done is a full audit of where these particular incidents are happening,” he said.
“I’m sure they’re happening elsewhere. We need to allocate resources to where these incidents are, tackling issues from the ground up. It’s just critical – children need to be safe in our communities.”
Edgington said most resources in the Barkly region were based in Tennant Creek and there were a number of small remote communities nearby where governments could look at what resources were allocated for child protection and welfare, housing, and other areas.
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (Naccho) peak body called on the federal government to work on responses with Indigenous services in communities, including the establishment of a confidential child helpline to increase rates of abuse disclosure and better respond to victims and perpetrators.
The chair of Naccho, John Singer, welcomed the investigations into the incident and said the sexual abuse of children had to stop.
“We know these are complex issues requiring urgent responses but the abuse still continues. We need a comprehensive approach to child and community safety with a focus on prevention and community education,” he said.
Singer commended the efforts of dry communities but said liquor outlets and road houses undermined them.
“The NT government needs to take a good hard look at the total number
of liquor licenses granted and curtail them to stop the flow of alcohol. People
must come before profits. The grog is killing our people and our children are
exposed to the results of that every day.”
On Monday the NT chief minister, Michael Gunner, said extra Territory Families staff had been deployed to the community and the incident would also be referred to the children’s commissioner.
“This is an extremely disturbing incident,” he told the ABC. “Every child, no matter where they live, deserves to be in a safe environment.”
