AUSTRALIA
New Matilda
October 22, 2018
By Liana Buchanan
Later today, our Parliament will deliver a formal National Apology to the victims of child abuse perpetrated at the hands of Australian institutions. Words have power, but action means a lot more, writes Liana Buchanan.
Today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison makes a national apology to victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. Around 400 balloted tickets have been made available to attend the ceremony in Canberra, while another 400 organisational representatives will also attend and local ceremonies will see hundreds of others come together around Australia to witness the apology.
This historic event marks the rightful acknowledgement of decades of abuse that has been, until recently, hidden. It follows the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which exposed thousands of allegations, and made more than 2,500 referrals to police.
The abuse disclosed has, in many cases, led to catastrophic impacts on the lives of victims who survived, and their families and loved ones. For too many others, their lives have ended as a direct result of childhoods destroyed through abuse.
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