A worrisome report on sexual abuse of children in Aboriginal communities has sparked rapid reaction from the Australian government, who announced it would take drastic measures Thursday.

The report issued last week showed children were sexually abused in all 45 Aboriginal communities in north Australia. Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough called the situation a “national disgrace” and “something that should never happen in this country.”

The drastic measures announced by the Australian government Thursday include a 6-month moratorium on the sale of alcoholic beverages in affected Aboriginal communities and additional police officers in the area.

The authors of the report, social worker Pat Anderson and government lawyer Rex Wild, named alcohol consumption and lack of education the main factors leading to child sex abuse.

Another measure is to compel parents to send their children to school, by threatening to withdraw their welfare payments if they did not meet this demand.

Aboriginal communities usually have poor education. About 60 percent of children do not graduate from high school. Only 12 percent pursue higher education.

“We are dealing with children of the tenderest age who have been exposed to the most terrible abuse from the time of their birth virtually,” Prime Minister John Howard told Parliament. “Any semblance of maintaining the innocence of childhood is a myth in so many of these communities and we feel very strongly that action of this kind is needed.”