BishopAccountability.org

Opening Address: 7th Biennial International Research, Theory & Practice Conference

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
November 05, 2015

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/media-centre/speeches/anzatsa-7th-biennial-conference

The Hon Justice Peter McClellan AM Chair, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

Opening Address: 7th Biennial International Research, Theory & Practice Conference

The Royal Commission first sat in public in April 2013. On that occasion I emphasised that Australians of recent generations have lived through a period of rapid change across many aspects of society. Many changes can be identified. One which is important for the work of the Royal Commission is the preparedness of the community to challenge authority and the actions of those in power in areas where this would not previously have been contemplated. We have also seen significant changes in the manner in which power is distributed throughout the community. The women's movement and the fact that many women now hold positions of responsibility in government and business are markers of many of the changes that have occurred.

These changes have brought with them a need and capacity to reflect on the functioning of institutions and the behaviour of individuals within those institutions. We have seen both Royal Commissions and Inquiries directed to that end. Some Inquiries have been conducted by Senate Committees. Inquiries have looked at diverse issues including institutional and out of home care, foster care, child migration, the various child protection systems in the States and Territories, the stolen generations, Aboriginal deaths in custody, child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities and forced adoptions.

Many Inquiries have touched upon the issues raised by the Royal Commission's Terms of Reference. They number more than 40. Some of the inquiries will be familiar to you. They include: in NSW, the Paedophile Inquiry of the Wood Royal Commission; in Queensland, the Forde Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions; in Victoria, the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Organisations; in South Australia, the Mullighan Inquiry into Children in State Care; in Tasmania, the Select Committee on Child Protection Final Report; and in Western Australia, the Blaxell Inquiry into St Andrew’s Hostel Katanning: How the System and Society Failed Our Children. At the Commonwealth level they include the Senate Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care. That inquiry culminated in the publishing of the Forgotten Australians report in 2004, and an apology to survivors being delivered in Parliament in November 2009. In addition, there have been a very large number of Inquiries into these issues overseas. As the Royal Commissions and Inquiries that have been held in the last 30 years make plain, the community has come to acknowledge that fundamental wrongs have been committed in the past which have caused great trauma and lasting damage to many people. Although a painful process, if a community is to move forward, it must come to understand where wrongs have occurred and so far as possible, right those wrongs. ...

Some Statistics

You will be interested in some of the information we have gathered to this stage. Our most recent analysis of 2,794 private sessions tell us:

Around 62% of survivors are male, and around 37% are female.

Around 30% of survivors are aged between 50 and 59. Almost 25% are aged between 60 and 69. Around 20% are aged between 40 and 49.

The average age at abuse was just over 10 for males and just under 10 for females.

The most common decade in which abuse reported to us first occurred was the 1960s (around 28%) followed by the 1970s (23%).

The most common type of institution in which abuse occurred – at around 45% - was out of home care (this includes orphanages, children’s homes or foster care)

Around 60% of the institutions in which sexual abuse occurred were faith-based organisations, followed by 23% which were managed by government.

Most offenders were male - around 89%.

Half of the abuse involved penetration and around two thirds involved fondling.

On average, children were abused over a period of 2.8 years.

I must emphasise that these statistics are of those who have made contact with us and come to a private session. It may not be representative of all survivors.

Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse

It would not be a surprise for this audience to learn that an analysis of our private sessions data indicates that impacts on behaviour and mental health functioning are the most commonly reported impacts by survivors.

Many people who have been abused report post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and high rates of alcohol and substance abuse.

An often unrecognised impact of child sexual abuse is the adverse impact on ‘human capital’. These are the skills, knowledge and experience that equip people to engage and participate in society. Compared to non-abused groups, victims of abuse are less likely to achieve secondary school qualifications, gain a higher school certificate, attend university and gain a university degree.[1]




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