Two young West Australian boys have been charged over allegedly sexually assaulting other children in a remote northern community.
The Kimberley Joint Response Team charged the two boys, aged 11 and 12, after an investigation earlier this month.
The boys were due to appear in a Kimberley Children's Court yesterday, charged with a total of14 offences between them.
However, they were non-appearances, with one unable to get to the courthouse as he could not get a lift into the town.
The boys have been charged with seven offences each, including indecent dealing and sexual penetration of a child under 13.
Both are on bail.
The case is before the children's court, and only limited details can be reported to protect the identities of the victims and the alleged offenders.
Northern communities wrestle with dysfunction
The charges come as the Kimberley continues to grapple with a history of dysfunction and alcohol abuse, and some of the highest rates of domestic abuse in the country.
In the north in particular, experts say there is a tendency to under-report child sexual abuse cases and WA Police first highlighted issues around the problem in 2016.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of children in the Kimberley investigated for alleged sexual abuse crimes, and the WA Government has committed funding to the Kimberley Sexual Abuse Prevention and Support Service through to June next year.
About 300 people access the service each year, which takes referrals from the same WA police team that charged the two boys.
