Catholic school sex abuse scandal: Finding the courage to confront the past

AUSTRALIA
The Age

February 20, 2016

Henrietta Cook
Education Reporter at The Age

Principals at schools caught up in the horrific Catholic sex abuse scandals are taking positive steps to prevent it happening again.

It took decades – and a firm psychologist – for Peter Blenkiron​ to find the courage to return to his old school. He didn’t want to, but he knew he must. Not just for him; for all those other kids.

His psychologist slowly walked with him towards the grand, wrought iron gates. The looming red brick building looked the same. So did the steps behind the chapel, where the worst stuff happened. Blenkiron’s heart was pounding, and his calloused hands were sweaty. And suddenly he was 11 again.

“It was like an internal bomb went off,” he says. “My intestines turned to broken glass. It cut me into pieces inside.”

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