Police commissioners planning to apologise to victims of institutional child sex abuse

By Patrick Wright And David Sparkes
ABC News
January 17, 2017

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-17/police-commissioners-planning-apology-to-child-abuse-victims/8187260

Support group CLAN says police often ignored children abused in orphanages and other institutions.

Australia's police commissioners are considering issuing an apology to victims of child sex abuse following the release of a royal commission report later this year.The matter was considered at a meeting of Australia's police chiefs in September after a request from the Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN), which supports and advocates for people abused as children in orphanages, foster care and other institutions.

Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton, who chaired the meeting, said while an apology was likely, commissioners would consider the child abuse royal commission's final report, due to be released in December, before making a decision.

"We did have a chat with the royal commission regarding the timing of their final report," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

"We don't know what's going to be in their report, so whilst this is something that is likely to occur, it's best to wait until we get the report from the royal commission.

"Then we can shape the apology in the way that's going to have the best effect."

Commissioner Ashton informed CLAN of the discussion at the Australian and New Zealand Police Commissioners' Forum (ANZPCF) in a letter sent last week, which the ABC has seen.

"Our decision to await the outcomes of the [Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse] does not diminish our view that the issues raised by CLAN are of significant concern," the letter read.

"The ANZPCF have asked me to convey their sincere empathy about the concerns CLAN have raised."

In August, CLAN held a protest outside Victoria Police headquarters in Melbourne calling for a national apology.

Leonie Sheedy, who co-founded CLAN, said a national apology would mean a great deal to abuse victims who were ignored, or taken back to the institutions they had fled, after approaching police.

But she questioned the police commissioners' decision to wait until the release of the royal commission's final report.

"It was very good to hear Graham Ashton have a deep understanding of the issues for care leavers ... who tried to tell police of the crimes that were being committed against them and they weren't believed and they were flogged and bashed," she said.

"We've got people who were put into police cells at three years of age.

"Why do we have to wait? People have waited their lifetime for acknowledgment and validation.

"Police need to own their history — they didn't care and respect people who were in orphanages when they tried to tell the police."

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is due to hand down its final report on December 15.