Caravanning News is registered with the National Library of Australia's PANDORA archive

February 2016
 

 


Loo blues for kids

Kids and loos ... a dilemma for caravanning parents

Caravanners in a tizz

BLUES OVER
KIDS IN LOOS

By Dennis Amor
Have your say

CARAVANNERS are in a tizz over children using caravan park toilets meant for the opposite sex.

Their concern comes as the number of child sex assaults in Australia continue to rise.

According to Adults Surviving Child Abuse, one in three girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.

While caravan parks are generally considered safe places for children, there have been cases of pedophiles at work.

A 43-year-old man was charged in NSW after indecently assaulting a seven-year-old boy in the toilets of a NSW caravan park.

In another case, a 47-year-old serial sex offender was jailed after serious sexual assaults on a girl at a Victorian caravan park.

Kyle a victim

RADIO and TV personality Kyle Sandilands has revealed how, as a young child, he was the victim of a sex pervert while on a caravanning holiday in Queensland. He recently told listeners to his Sydney radio breakfast show about his terrifying ordeal, which happened during a family holiday at a caravan park on Bribie Island. He claimed a man exposed himself, made lewd comments and invited him back to his caravan to watch a pornographic movie. Kyle dashed to his own caravan but did not tell his mother until some years later.

 

And depraved pedophile Brett Cowan, in jail for murdering Sunshine State schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, was a frequent caravan park dweller.

Many parents are now unhappy about their children using caravan park showers and toilets unaccompanied. And this is where the problem has arisen ... the task is left mainly to mothers.

The dilemma of children using the wrong toilets at holiday parks has been raised on Australia's biggest online caravanning forum.

One member revealed that his "pet hate" was the continual use of female showers and toilets by women for their sons.

On many occasions older unaccompanied boys had been asked to leave, he said.

Another member commented: "My wife gets very annoyed when the young lads are standing there with wide eyes like dinner plates and heads swivelling around like sideshow clowns.

"She and my daughter both feel intimidated and dare I say, so would most of the younger females."

Several caravanners said they would never allow young boys to use the male toilets while alone.

"I can give you plenty of examples why," wrote one.

Another forumite believed there were no no hard or fast answers to the problem.

"What I find sad is that we as a society have to be concerned/fearful for our children in this day and age," he said.

"As a young tacker we used to caravan at the old Valla Park at Nambucca Heads quite often and my parents had no need of fear letting us wander the park and use the facilities on our own.

"Perhaps six years and under I can understand, but I was only around seven or eight when we first went there.

"Even using public facilities when out and about for family outings required no adult supervision for myself.

"Such a shame that our society has denigrated to living in fear of predators of the human kind."

One member suggested making women's toilets unisex "as long as all delicate areas can be rendered private".

"I have to say my memory of young males of a certain age is such that they are not really very trustworthy when it comes to respecting privacy and decency, so an upper age limit should be imposed," he wrote.

Another thought it was "bad enough" taking his five-year-old grandson to the playground.

"I can imagine the looks if I walked into a gents' toilet with him, so my wife takes him to the ladies."

BACK TO CARAVANNING NEWS MAIN PAGE

 No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without
the prior written permission of Dennis Amor.

Copyright 2005 Dennis Amor
All Rights Reserved

Kui Parks advert

The Kingaroy Choofer advert

Sample advert