AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
Monday 27 October 2014
I would like to acknowledge and thank Dr Kezelman and ASCA for the work they do every day to help survivors of sexual and other abuse. In particular can I thank Dr Kezelman for her support of the Royal Commission. Dr Kezelman has been working with us, together with many other people, to develop our recommendations for redress – more of that in a moment.
Blue Knot Day is a reminder that there are many Australians who are survivors of childhood trauma and abuse. The strength, courage and resilience of those who have come forward to the Royal Commission to tell us their story shows us that recovery is possible. That possibility is enhanced by the work of Dr Kezelman and ASCA and the other people and organisations who assist survivors.
The Royal Commission held its first public sitting in Melbourne in April last year. On that occasion I remarked on the number of public inquiries which have considered the abuse, including sexual abuse, of children. I said that over time 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. The Royal Commission has been tasked by its Letters Patent to develop an understanding of where we have gone wrong in the protection of children and bring forward recommendations which, so far as may be possible, will right those wrongs and make it safer for children in the future.
The Royal Commission has now heard from about 2,500 people in private sessions. Many others have provided us with a written account of their abuse. We have also conducted 19 public hearings.
The people who we talk to in private sessions cover a broad spectrum of Australian society. Each of their individual experiences has left a mark on their lives. For some that mark is evident in a profound sadness because of their betrayal by a trusted adult. Others carry greater scars. For others the life consequences have been catastrophic. Each person’s story is unique with impacts of greater or lesser significance in their life journey and with differing impacts upon their psychological and physical well-being.
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