Voiceless Victim

A survivor of clergy child sexual abuse speaks out for those who can't speak for themselves

Historic Inquiry to Provide First Taste of Justice for Australian Victims

3 Comments Posted by on April 17, 2012

I have just received notification that in a few minutes the first official investigation into the Australian catholic church’s enabling and coverup of widespread child sexual assault will be announced.

I congratulate the Victorian state government on being the first government in Australia to take the plight of victims of catholic church enabled child rape seriously.

This historic inquiry, as long as it is not completely powerless to compel evidence from the catholic church, will no doubt reveal the horrific reality we victims have had to deal with our entire lives.

Most importantly, this is a huge step forward in stopping the reign of terror of sexual predators enjoying the prestige and protection of this powerful institution. And a means to create a future where many thousands of innocent children do not have their safety, their trust, their hope, their potential, their health, their sexuality and even their lives stolen from them by powerful criminals.

Just this announcement alone will contribute to the recovery of so many innocent victims of the coverup of widespread child sex crime.

Victims who have never come forward should consider telling their story to this inquiry. This will be a rare opportunity to be listened to with sympathy and understanding by impartial professionals whose job it is to offer you justice.

Catholic child sexual abuse, Catholic lies about child rape, Catholic re-abuse of child sex abuse victims, child protection, suicide as a result of child rape by priests, Victorian inquiry

3 responses to “Historic Inquiry to Provide First Taste of Justice for Australian Victims”

  1. JohnB April 17, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    A great step in the right direction. Of course the church and those tainted by its ways will seek exemption on matters of faith from the inquiry; I and many others were sexually abused as children due to matters of faith.

    The terms of reference usually determine the outcome or desire of the government. It is to be hoped that the terms of reference are both transparent and unbiased.

    What is needed now is information on deaths and suicides in other states related to clergy sexual abuse as that can cause other states to setup their own investigation or for it to become Australia wide.

    Reply
  2. JohnB April 17, 2012 at 7:25 pm

    Boycott a weak Parliamentary Inquiry.

    For those who have lost loved ones, for those who have been abused there can be no justice found in a parliamentary inquiry.

    The deaths of more than 40 victims of clergy sexual abuse demands a Royal Commission.

    Register your protest against yet another failure on the part of government when it comes to survivors of childhood sexual abuse and the rights and the protection of our children.

    Register your disapproval and your skepticism with Ann Barker MP, State member for Oakleigh, contact your local member and the Premiers department to register your disapproval..

    contact details

    Ann Barker MP
    19 Station Street
    Oakleigh VIC 3166

    Tel: (03) 9568 4625
    Fax: (03) 9563 2512
    ann@annbarker.net
    http://www.annbarker.net

    Reply
  3. JohnB April 19, 2012 at 11:27 am

    Now that the Victorian governments decision to hold a very limited and inexperienced parliamentary inquiry that has no option or potential to bring the victims one step closer to justice and restitution has been put in place and with the realization coming to many as well as those affected that the opportunity to obtain justice and restitution for the abuses that were carried out against survivors when they were children have been washed away for the next 10 or 15 years it is to be expected that the suicides will continue with an increase expected.

    The realization that they have once again been defrauded by their government will be one of the greatest suicide triggers these survivors will have ever faced.

    After having their plight cited, quoted and repetitiously used to bolster the many positions in the survivor industry there are several things of note that are missing from the responses to the announcement of this inquiry.

    Firstly, the processes that have led to more than 40 suicides is permitted to continue in the same manner as it has done in the past. The questionable operations of survivor groups, the so-called Independent Commission into Sexual Abuse set up and operated by the Catholic church, its support systems under the Melbourne process, the Towards Healing program are all permitted to continue to operate as though they played no part in the 40 plus suicides.

    Second is the fact that the plight of the survivors and victims and their lack of justice and restitution has been a major topic in this regard yet no move anywhere has been made to set up a public fund to provide these victims with any form of appropriate assistance or support. Surely it is time for all the pundits who have had mileage from the plight of these victims to put up in the Australian way by establishing a public fund to show that there is a real meaning towards the survivors rather than the myriad of personal and religious motivations which predominate.

    People whose lives were shattered as children, who have been shunned by their families and their religion for a lifetime.

    From the survivors perspective their lifetime that has been filled with denial of their human right to justice and equality and they know their plight has once again exploited in the game both church and government play with the lives of children and those sexually abused.

    When will the people of Australia say to both church and government that enough is enough; the answer to that perhaps lays in the question would Australians support a publicly managed fund to compensate survivors of sexual abuse by clergy now that access to that fundamental right has been pushed out for another 10 or 15 years by the Ballieu governments minimal approach to the problem of abuse carried out in the name of religion.

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