AUSTRALIA
The Age
April 19, 2015
Cathy Kezelman
Another week and another school is under investigation for historical child sexual abuse.
Last Monday, Newington College, a private boys’ school in Sydney, was the latest school rocked by historic child sexual abuse allegations. The reports indicated that the school sent an email out to the parents of current and former students notifying them of an anticipated court case involving allegations of prior abuse at the school.
Two weeks earlier, another one of Sydney’s most prestigious private schools, St Ignatius College, Riverview, was forced to send a letter to parents informing them about child sexual abuse allegations made by a former student.
Both cases follow the chilling public inquiry into yet another prestigious private boys’ school, Knox Grammar, which was the focus of the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse earlier this year. This particular case shocked the community – not only in relation to the reality of the three-decade history of child sexual abuse at the school, and the currency of the case up till 2012, but by the numbers of teachers charged.
The conduct of the school was especially disturbing. With the loss of records, and the former headmaster reportedly contradicting evidence that he gave earlier in the investigation, we saw evidence which suggested ongoing cover-ups, as well as the compounding impacts on victims. This public hearing is to recommence its inquiry, in late April.
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