SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)
AFP
February 8, 2018
Australia will apologise to survivors of institutional child sex abuse by the end of the year, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Thursday (Feb 8) after a five-year inquiry detailed harrowing stories from victims.
A royal commission established in 2012 to investigate abuse was contacted by more than 15,000 survivors with claims – some decades-old – involving churches, orphanages, sporting clubs, youth groups and schools.
Turnbull told parliament he would consult with survivors before making the apology on behalf of the nation “before the end of the year”.
“As a nation, we must mark this occasion in a form that reflects the wishes of survivors and affords them the dignity to which they were entitled as children, but which was denied to them by the very people who were tasked with their care,” he said.
“Reading some of the witness statements, it’s clear that being heard and being believed means so much to the survivors … Three words: ‘I believe you,’ coming after years, often decades, of authorities’ denial of responsibility.”
The royal commission released its final report in December and said more than 4,000 institutions were accused of abuse, with many of them Catholic-managed facilities.
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