1 in 6 Australian men are sexually attracted to teenagers and children

Disturbing research into the extent of child sexual abuse has found almost one in six Australian men have sexual feelings towards children and teenagers, and almost one in 10 acknowledge having committed child sexual offences, despite few being caught.

The lead author, UNSW Associate Professor Michael Salter, will present the research on Monday to an audience of about 80 police, public servants, survivors and psychologists in Sydney.

Salter said this was the first Australian study to focus on undetected offenders, and his goal was to improve prevention and early detection of child sexual abuse.