One of Australia’s leading child protection advocates, Hetty Johnston has addressed the recent child abuse charges brought against a former daycare worker. 

Johnston established Bravehearts, an organisation that advocates for child abuse victims after her daughter became a victim of sexual abuse by her paternal grandfather.

She is now helping organisations establish safeguards, upholding the national child safe principles and pushing for government policy implementation.

“We all need to understand how predators work, how they think, what to look for and how to respond”.

She continued, “As long as we don’t know that – we’re blind”.

Johnston emphasised the stark statistics that show that 1 in 3 children has been sexually abused.

“This is a national emergency”, she explained.

Hear more highlights from Afternoons with Deborah Knight below: