Abused ABC Broadcaster Urges Others to Come Forward

ABC News
November 13, 2012

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-13/abc-sex-abuse-victim-urges-others-to-come-forward/4368640?section=wa

Eoin Cameron received an apology for the abuse. (ABC News: Courtney Bembridge)

An ABC broadcaster in Perth, who was the victim of a paedophile, says the announcement of a Royal Commission into sex abuse at Australian institutions is long overdue.

Eoin Cameron was repeatedly raped by the head Brother at the Marist College in Mt Gambier, in South Australia, when he was a student there in the 1960s.

He received an apology and compensation for the abuse but renounced his Catholicism when he recently discovered the man who abused him was honoured for services to the Church.

Mr Cameron says many victims of abuse are still reluctant to come forward for fear of being stigmatised.

"A lot of people have lived with that for years and years," he said.

"And, they may live with fear that 'oh I might get found out about'.

"Even though they are the victim, this is the way the brain works and the way the human psyche is."

He says the man who abused him worked in several other institutions across the country and likely abused dozens of other children.

Mr Cameron is encouraging anyone who suffered abuse to step forward.

"I'll put my hand up, I'm happy to talk to [the royal commission], I'm happy to tell them everything I know about other kids who were abused," he said.

"And, I would encourage anyone else to put their hand up as well because it's stressful but ultimately therapeutic."

Failure to protect

WA Greens MP Alison Xamon says she has little doubt the Royal Commission will uncover new cases across the state.

Ms Xamon believes the abuse documented by a recent inquiry into the state-run St Andrews Hostel at Katanning is just the tip of the iceberg.

"I think it is inevitable that a Royal Commission is going to uncover further abuse," she said.

"Just as the Blaxell Inquiry was called in response to early abuse and uncovered so much more, it's anticipated a Royal Commission will end up doing the same.

"We need to get to the bottom of how many people could have been failed so long."

Ms Xamon says a Commission is the best way to fully understand how abuse was allowed to occur and how to prevent it in the future.

"They can compel people to give evidence, they can actually bypass the evidentiary burden of our court system," she said.

"It really is the way that people can get to the very bottom of the way abuses were able to occur."

The warden at the hostel, Dennis McKenna, is in jail for the long term sexual abuse of students between 1975 and 1990.

Spotlight

One of his victims, Daryl Stephens, says he hopes the Royal Commission will give others who were abused some closure.

He hopes the Royal Commission will turn the spotlight on people who covered up abuse in WA.

"They will finally just get some closure that they are getting listened to at long last," he said.

"And, the people that did cover it up might get some punishment.

"They just keep hiding behind whatever uniform or whatever their job is and not facing the facts."

A recent state inquiry into the hostel abuse resulted in adverse findings against several people who were alerted to the issue but failed to do anything about it.

Victims were also offered compensation from the State Government.

Mr Stephens believes, however, more should be done and a Royal Commission is the way to do it.

"I think its well worth it, I'm glad its happening because there were adverse findings found against people but nothing was followed up and I think it should be."

The Federal Government says it will take several weeks to set the terms of reference for the Royal Commission.