Australian preschool children aren't too young to be taught how to detect sexual abuse and what to do if it happens, a new report finds.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which started in 2013, is due to make its final recommendations on compensation at the end of June or early July.
As part of its work, the commission on Thursday published a report looking at the effectiveness of sex abuse prevention programs for preschool kids.
The document dismisses research suggesting preschoolers are too young to participate in such programs.
"The majority of research supports child sexual abuse prevention programs for preschoolers, however more research is needed to determine the size of the effect," the report states.
More research is also needed, it finds, on whether training during preschool years "acts as a critical foundation for later learning", whether certain groups benefit more than others, and the best ways to maximise learning for young kids.
The report says prevention programs appear to be "effective at increasing young children's ability to detect inappropriate touch requests".
They also boost their skills "around what to do and say, who to tell and what to report if confronted by an inappropriate touch request".
Since it kicked off, the commission has handled 22,022 calls, received 9525 letters and emails, held 3096 private sessions and referred 510 matters to authorities.
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