AUSTRALIA
The West Australian
SHANE WRIGHT AND ANDREW PROBYN CANBERRA The West Australian
July 1, 2014
A royal commission has uncovered child sexual abuse of such a scale that it needs two more years to deliver justice for victims.
In its interim report, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse reveals allegations of abuse have been made against more than 1000 institutions, ranging from long-day childcare centres to religious orders.
It warns that without being able to report in December 2017, the stories of thousands of victims will go untold. The commission, launched by then prime minister Julia Gillard in 2012, has found that “institutions and adults have systematically failed to protect children”.
Though its final recommendations may be some years away, the commission has expressed some support for a national agency to screen people who work with children as there are inconsistencies between the States.
But some jurisdictions have resisted such an agency, arguing it may not be achievable or appropriate.
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