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From 2001-02 to 2005-06, for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, theproportion of:• physical abuse substantiations decreased (from 27.5 per cent to 19.8 per cent and27.0 per cent to 22.6 per cent, respectively)• substantiations for sexual abuse decreased (9.5 per cent to 7.2 per cent and14.6 per cent to 11.2 per cent, respectively)• emotional abuse substantiations increased (from 22.6 per cent to 37.3 per centand 28.2 per cent to 40.7 per cent, respectively)• neglect substantiations were unchanged (tables 3A.9.2 and 3A.9.6).Attachment tables 3A.9.2–5 include the number of children and the rate per 1000children aged 0–16 years who were the subject of a substantiation, by type of abuseor neglect by State and Territory for the period 2002-03 to 2005-06.Sexually transmitted infection diagnoses in children and child sexualassault victimsThere is growing awareness of the prevalence of child sexual abuse in someIndigenous communities (ACSAT 2006; Coorey 2001; Dunne et al. 2006;Keel 2004; Lawrence 2006; Memmott et al. 2001; NT 2006; Robertson 2000;SNAICC 2004, 2005; Stanley 2003; Stanley et al. 2002; Stanley, Tomison andPocock 2003).Data on the rate of STIs in children is not a reliable measure of the rate of childsexual abuse. A greater rate of STIs in Indigenous children may be a result of thehigher prevalence of STIs in the Indigenous adult population rather than a greaterrate of abuse. However, as Abbott (2006) commented ‘…it’s hard to see howsexually transmitted diseases in very young patients can be the result of anythingother than abuse’.New diagnoses of genital chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis are notifiableconditions in all states and territories of Australia. Data on the number of diagnosesof chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis by Indigenous status are only available forVictoria, WA, SA and the NT. New South Wales, Tasmania and the ACT wereunable to provide these data by Indigenous status.Notifications are collated in the Australian National Notifiable DiseasesSurveillance System (NNDSS), which records a unique record reference number,State or Territory identifier, disease code, date of onset, date of notification to therelevant health authority, sex, age, Indigenous status and postcode of residence.88 OVERCOMINGINDIGENOUSDISADVANTAGE 2007