Raising funds to stop sex trafficking

About 10,000 Australian men visit the Asia pacific each year with the purpose of sexually exploiting children, 2,000 of which are convicted sex offenders.

CEO of the Melbourne based organization, Bernadette McMenamin, set up the Child Wise twenty years ago after witnessing the extent of child sex abuse both in Australia and overseas during her time as a social worker.

“I believed that children had a right to be safe and protected because I saw so much abuse. I just felt all of what I saw could be prevented if people were more educated and vigilant.”

“I thought what sort of world are we leaving to our children when the damage of child abuse is so life long in many cases “ said Ms McMenamin.

Child Wise will hold its first-ever fundraising gala in Sydney this month.

With limited government funding Child Wise relies heavily on private donations.

Funds raised from the gala will go directly into maintaining programs like the national helpline that educates parents and carers on child sex abuse issues.

Child Wise aims to eventually raise enough funds to replicate its Cambodian program in Bali where there are 25,000 street kids.

In Cambodia, Child Wise works with vulnerable communities helping to prevent children being trafficked into child labour and prostitution.

One in five children are sexually abused in Australia.

Approximately two million children are trafficked into prostitution worldwide each year.

Ms McMenamin feels that the Australian government should be held more accountable.

“We can’t send our problems overseas and then forget about them. The Australian government can’t remain so complacent, they need to provide more funding,” she said.

Apart from a three-course meal there will be a variety of live entertainment performances at the black and white gala ball. These include Aerialize, a Sydney children’s circus group, musician Gerry Azor and magician Adam Mada. There will also be a silent auction and live auction of a range of items donated to Child Wise including etchings of works by Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso provided by Chase gallery in Sydney.

Nicola Jones-Crossley volunteers her time and efforts as an event manager for Child Wise.

She said, “They are doing some great stuff. They are still a small organization, its grassroots based so I would like to see them grow bigger because they do some amazing work.”

The gala will be held on May 12 at the Star Room at the Imax Theatre complex.

To book go to http:// childwisegalaball.eventbrite.com.au.

By Kate Horowitz