BY the time you're 15 years old, one in six females and one in 25 males have experienced at least one sexual assault.
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Respect, or lack of it, is something many people learn when they are children, high-profile First Nations figures Shelley Ware and Scott Prince say.
The duo have joined forces for the fourth phase of the federal government's Stop it at the Start campaign. It aims to help break the cycle of violence, by encouraging adults to reflect on their attitudes and have conversations about respect with young people.
"When I was little and growing up they'd say 'it's just cause he likes you' or 'he says that cause he likes you' or 'he's treating you that way cause he likes you'. We've got to stop excusing disrespect," Ms Ware said.
"We've got to want more for our young women, create a safe environment for them and break those cycles of violence."
The Yankunyjatjara and Wirangu woman, who is a TV presenter, commentator and educator, confessed she has people close to her who have been victims of sexual assault.
"I've seen the consequences of it first hand and those consequences aren't just for the perpetrator or the victim, they bleed out within the family groups, especially within children," she said.
Mr Prince, from the Kalkadoon People in Mt Isa, played NRL for the Brisbane Broncos and West Tigers, and now uses his role as a father to two teenage girls - aged 17 and 18 - and a coach to have conversations about respect with young people.
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"Prevention is certainly better than cure," he said.
"It's an ongoing thing, it's not having the conversation once every 12 months. Actually talk to them on a regular basis where they're consciously thinking about it.
"Everyone plays a role in it, it's not just one particular person. It's a right across community - aunties, uncles, mums, dads, grandparents, coaches and teachers. We all have to work together."
Ms Ware said some of the best moments to talk to her son Taj, 15, about respect is when he's at his most comfortable, for him that's by the ocean.
"With children you'll often get your best conversations, parents will notice, when you're driving in a car and it's not that confrontational," she said.
For tips on how to get the conversation started visit www.respect.gov.au.