A magistrate suppresses the name of a Sunshine Coast man allegedly involved in a child pornography website.

Parents of a six-year-old girl defend the use of her naked photo in a national arts magazine.

Almost 6500 child sex-charges are laid in Queensland courts in a two-year period, and child protection campaigner Hetty Johnston describes that figure as just the “tip of the iceberg”.

It’s one of those days when you feel like saying: “Stop the world, I want to get off.”

But unfortunately, this sort of sick stuff will keep on coming until we all – including our political and judicial leaders – decide enough is enough.

When will the protection of children become a national priority and be afforded the same level of priority as the economy, the environment and climate change?

For many of us, child abuse is a hidden scourge – one that is not talked about because it is considered too “yucky” or unsuitable for everyday conversation.

And when details in our courts are hidden under a veil of secrecy, the situation is not helped.

Last Friday, Magistrate Bernadette Callaghan suppressed the name of a man charged for his alleged involvement in a child pornography website.

Police allege the man was involved in setting up the website, which is believed to have been running for more than a year. It allegedly had hundreds of still pornographic images of children.

The Sunshine Coast Daily argued in court that given the high public interest in the case, it was the right of the community to know the man’s name.

But Magistrate Callaghan suppressed the name, closed the court during the bail application – and agreed to the man’s release.

She cited concerns there would be another “media frenzy” similar to that surrounding convicted paedophile Dennis Ferguson, if details of his identity were disclosed.

It was a pretty strange argument, given the differences in the two cases.

The Daily could certainly understand the need to ensure, as police argued, that the ongoing investigation by Taskforce Argos was not compromised or jeopardised.

But closing the court completely during the bail application only serves to foster a perception, growing in the community, that our judicial system seems more intent on protecting those accused of preying on and abusing children, than our children.

The case involving a six-year-old girl appearing naked on a national arts magazine will also leave most of us with more questions than answers.

Olympia Nelson’s photograph, taken by her mother, appears on the cover of Art Monthly Australia magazine to lament the treatment of artist Bill Henson.

Police seized a number of Henson’s photographs featuring near-naked or naked children from a Sydney art gallery recently, but they were returned without charges being laid.

Olympia, now 11, told media yesterday she did not believe the photograph amounted to abuse and was upset with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who said he hated the shot.

"I’m really, really offended by what Kevin Rudd had to say about this picture," Olympia said, accompanied by her father, The Age art critic Robert Nelson.

“I love the photo so much. It is one of my favourites, if not my favourite photo, my mum has ever taken of me and she has taken so many photos of me.

“I think that the picture my mum took of me had nothing to do with being abused and I think nudity can be a part of art.’’

Prof Nelson said the family had no regrets. The photograph was a great work of art and there was nothing pornographic about it, he said.

"(It) has nothing to do with paedophilia. The connection between artistic pictures and paedophilia cannot be made and there is no evidence for it. No one’s producing any science,” he said.

He went on to say: “I think we have to defend the dignity of children’s nudity ... otherwise we are in for a culture where you can’t expose children in any circumstance because someone might take some joy in looking at their bodies.”

But as Bravehearts executive director Hetty Johnston said yesterday, artistic merit should not override the rights and protection of a child.

“When those two things collide we have to err with the children, it has to be in the best interests of the children,” Ms Johnston said.

“We need to put a line in the sand because clearly some of those in the arts world can’t do that and say this is where you don’t go, this is a no go zone.”

And for those looking to downplay the sort of problem we are now facing because of the sexualisation of our children through everything from TV ads and music videos, consider this.

Between July 2005 and June 2007 there were 6486 child molestation charges in Queensland courts.

In some areas, 80% of the courts’ time is now spent with dealing with child sex abuse cases.

It’s time we said enough.