Ben Mathews Email & Phone Number

Ben Mathews is a Professor in the School of Law at Queensland University of Technology, and is an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health. He was a Professorial Fellow to Australia's Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He has authored 6 books and edited collections, 125 journal articles and book chapters, 25 government reports, 50 law reform submissions, and over 100 national and international conference papers. He was Lead Investigator the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), which was the first study to establish the nationwide prevalence of all five forms of child abuse and neglect, and their associated impacts on mental health, health risk behaviours, and burden of disease. Findings were shared with diverse government, non-government, professional and public audiences across Australia in over 100 presentations. They are now influencing multiple reforms to policy and practice, in portfolios including child protection, families and communities, and health. Professor Mathews conducts innovative, transformative research to assist the prevention, detection, and response to child abuse and neglect by legal and social systems. This work is driven by principles from public health, social justice, gender equality, and human rights. He is especially recognised for his research into optimal prevention, identification, and responses to child sexual abuse. His work has made key advances to show: (1) which legal mechanisms best identify cases of child sexual abuse (duties to report suspected cases, and reporter education); (2) how the concept of “child sexual abuse” should be defined; (3) why statutes of limitation should not apply to civil lawsuits for injuries caused by sexual abuse, including by institutional defendants.Professor Mathews’ research, engagement and advocacy has influenced major socio-legal reforms in Australia, including in relation to mandatory reporting laws for child sexual abuse, and the abolition of civil statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse claims. His work also influenced child protection law reform in Ireland (Children First Act 2015). Since 2013, he has consulted with UK MPs in the House of Lords, with his work influencing multiple reform bills. In 2019 in London, he delivered two invited presentations to the United Kingdom Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which have animated reforms now in progress. Other major consultancies include work with UK government departments and international NGOs.

Listed skills include Microsoft Word.