AUSTRALIA
Canberra Times
January 16, 2013
Bianca Hall and Jane Lee
CHURCHES and charities should pay compensation directly to survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and the terms of reference should be broadened, says the chief executive of the group of those formerly in child institutions.
The six royal commissioners examining past sexual abuse of children in institutional and organisational settings will meet for the first time on Wednesday.
But, said chief executive of Care Leavers Australia Network Leonie Sheedy, who represents about 1000 people who spent time as children in homes, orphanages and other institutions, many were shattered that physical abuse, neglect, forced and unpaid work and other forms of abuse would not be investigated by the commission.
”How do I tell the members of CLAN that were left dangling over orphanage balconies and never knew whether they were going to be dropped on their heads, and that they’d live or die, how can I tell them that, well, sorry, if you’d have been sodomised, they’d be interested? But that sort of torture’s not covered.”
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