Salvation Army Officer Accused of Child Sex Abuse

ABC
May 12, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2014/s4002379.htm

CHRIS UHLMANN: Another Salvation Army officer has been accused of repeated child sexual assault.

The ABC has learned that the alleged perpetrator is a Salvation Army Major believed to be in his 80s who was not named by the Royal Commission hearings into child sexual abuse.

His alleged victims were the children of fellow officers.

One victim claims she reported her alleged rape and abuse almost 20 years ago but is yet to receive any formal response from the Salvation Army.

She spoke to Background Briefing's Sarah Dingle.

And a warning, some listeners may find this story distressing.

SARAH DINGLE: The 49-year-old woman who we'll call Bronte is a successful professional. She's been involved with The Salvation Army literally since birth. Her teenage mother gave birth to her in a Salvation Army orphanage, and she was adopted by Salvation Army officers at just 10-days-old.

Around 1969, her parents and their best friends - also Salvation Army officers - went on a holiday in Victoria. Bronte was four.

BRONTE: Initially, the abuse started as him inserting his fingers into my genitals.

SARAH DINGLE: The sexual abuse continued for the next seven years in Sydney.

Bronte says her alleged perpetrator, currently a Salvation Army Major, used the fact that she had been adopted against her.

BRONTE: The way that he bought my silence was to convince me that if I disclosed at any time to my parents the abuse that was taking place, they would take me back to the orphanage and leave me there.

SARAH DINGLE: Bronte says their families saw each other often, and whenever she could be taken to one side, there would be instances of sexual abuse.

BRONTE: They all occurred on Salvation Army premises, primarily at his home. The organisation provides a home attached to each appointment, so the home is part of the package.

SARAH DINGLE: Bronte claims the sexual abuse ended when she was eleven.

The Major allegedly attempted full intercourse with her in his Salvation Army office, and she fought back.

She didn't tell her parents while growing up, and avoided her alleged perpetrator as much as possible.

To her horror, in her 20s, she says she found out she wasn't alone.

BRONTE: In the late 1980s I had a friend disclose to me that she had been sexually assaulted several years earlier. And to my horror her perpetrator was my perpetrator.

SARAH DINGLE: Bronte says her friend reported the sexual assault to the Salvation Army in the 80s, a few days after it occurred, but the alleged perpetrator continued as an officer.

After years of secrecy, Bronte says she wrote a letter to the Salvation Army in 1995, disclosing the child sexual assault and naming the alleged perpetrator.

She says she received no response.

Late last year, as the Royal Commission gained momentum, Bronte was approached through a friend to once again make a statement to the Salvation Army. She did so in January.

BRONTE: I have no official correspondence from the Salvation Army acknowledging that I have made these claims, assuring me that they'll be fully investigated. Nothing whatsoever on Salvation Army letterhead.

I find that that the Salvation Army's unwillingness to have a paper trail is very concerning and it makes me feel very nervous about where the Salvation Army's position in regards to all of this claims actually is.

SARAH DINGLE: In recent days, Bronte has made a full statement to police.

BRONTE: I will do everything I possibly can to bring this situation to its natural conclusion and I'll no longer carry the shame or the guilt of having not stopped it sooner.

SARAH DINGLE: In your opinion, is The Salvation Army a child safe organization?

BRONTE: Not today Sarah.

SARAH DINGLE: Bronte's extended family is still heavily involved with the Salvation Army. Bronte says she's coming forward because she loves the Army, but she believes it's not currently transparent or accountable.

CHRIS UHLMANN: And the ABC contacted the Salvation Army but is yet to receive any response. Sarah Dingle with that report.