Abuse survivors give voice to thousands

AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

MARCH 31, 20174:

Megan Neil
Australian Associated Press

The voices of child sexual abuse victims have been heard and the secrecy shattered.

Now the survivors who have given voice to the suffering of tens of thousands of others during four years of child abuse royal commission public hearings want action.

They want a zero-tolerance approach after child sexual abuse allegations involving more than 4000 Australian institutions.

It is the only approach the community can adopt, 56-year-old abuse survivor Steven Smith says.

“We should never again find ourselves in this situation where generations have been devastated and lives have been lost due to the indifference and self-serving attitudes of institutions in this country,” Mr Smith said on Friday.

“We as a community need to send a clear message to potential offenders and those institutions that would seek to protect them that we will act swiftly and decisively to protect our children and their future.”

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