THEY sport tough looking tattoos and roar in on motorbikes but the only people these bikers are trying to scare are the people who hurt kids.

These are the Bikers Against Child Abuse and they are putting their menacing appearance to good use, protecting children who have been the victims of abuse.

SBS reporter Patrick Abboud was given unprecedented access into the Australian organisation, whose leather-clad men and women have pledged to lend their emotional support and physical presence to shield children from suffering from further abuse.

Some of these children had experienced horrific sexual abuse and BACA are there to make sure they feel safe. Those given their protection are assigned members who live close to them and are on call 24/7.

“They don’t go after the perpetrator, instead they support the children, they escort them to court or to school, they are like bodyguards,” Abboud said.

Abboud said the children were able to call BACA any time of the day. One of the children he interviewed said she had called BACA at 2am after having a nightmare and they had rocked up to her house immediately to reassure her.

“They want to empower kids to get their lives back and not to live in fear,” Abboud said.

For the young people they protect, this sense of security is invaluable in helping them feel safe and to get their lives back.

If they join up for the scheme, kids are given their own vest and get a photo taken with the bikers.

“If the child is afraid, it is our hope the child will use the photograph as a comfort to convey the message ‘I am not alone, and you don’t want to mess with my family’,” a mission statement on the BACA site states.

It also makes clear that BACA members are willing to put their own lives on the line for the children.

“We do not condone the use of violence or physical force in any manner, however, if circumstances arise such that we are the only obstacle preventing a child from further abuse, we stand ready to be that obstacle.”

BACA members believe they are filling the gaps where the system is letting down victims of abuse.

“BACA fills a void that no-one else can. You know, the police, the counsellors, the system works within time limits and constraints — we don’t,” one member named Krash told Abboud.

Some people think they are vigilantes and even the girls and the parents Abboud spoke to said they were initially afraid of the bikers, but they have changed people’s lives.

“They are incredibly compassionate towards the families and (the girls) feel there is nothing they would not do for them, even feeling like they can call them is sometimes enough,” Abboud said.

One of the girls, who had been abused from age 7 to 10, now 19 years old, had basically turned her life around to the point where she had started her own family.

“At first glance you might be sceptical but when you meet them and see the work they are doing, it’s a different story,” Abboud said.

Despite looking like the average bikie, with tattoos and leather jackets, Abboud said members preferred not to be called bikies and were defying stereotypes people had.

While BACA is not formally or officially acknowledged by law enforcement or social services, some members told Abboud they have received referrals from those agencies.

“Society doesn’t accept bikers so therefore law enforcement and social services can’t be seen to accept them,” Abboud said.

But those that join BACA must go through police checks and anyone who comes under their protection goes through an extensive evaluation before the group agrees to take on their case.

Once the children are granted protection they are able to call on BACA members for as long as they feel they need them.

Abboud said there were currently about 1000 active members of BACA in Australia and the group had chapters in every state in the country. They currently take on about one case a month and generally support the children for six or seven months.

After forming 20 years ago in Utah, BACA now has 3000 members in nine countries. The founder of the group was a biker and child therapist who noticed that taking kids out on bike rides could have a positive effect.

“It is really strange but it’s effective and it seems to be working,” Abboud said.

“At the end of the day they are people who are very compassionate about helping children and equally passionate about being bikers,” Abboud said.

Bikers Against Child Abuse will be featured on Friday night’s episode of The Feed on SBS 2 at 7.30pm.

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