AUSTRALIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

[terms of reference – Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse]

Posted by Nicky Davis on January 11, 2013

We applaud the prime minister for establishing this inquiry and setting the terms of reference.

It’s crucial that current and former employees be questioned under oath as to how much church officials have known and how little they have done to protect the children. The commission must be aggressive in finding and questioning these officials, even if they have retired or moved elsewhere or claim special privileges or protections of some sort.

It’s also crucial that no one get complacent now. It will be tempting for many concerned individuals to sit back and convince themselves that they’re “off the hook” and that the commission will “fix” everything. Nothing could be further from the truth.

One reason tens of thousands…