4000 places of Abuse says the Australian Royal Commission on track to deliver its final report on Dec.15

by smiddy 8 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

smiddy

According to an Article in the Herald Sun Tues.March 28 2017 ,Australian children were abused in more than 4000 institutions new data by the child abuse royal commission has revealed.
Male clergy were most commonly perpertrators of the abuse followed by teachers and residential care workers while boys aged 10-14 were the most common victims.
The ARC started its 57th and final case study yesterday ,chair justice Peter McClellan confirmed that after four years the $500 million commission was on track to deliver its final report on December the 15th (2017)
"Survivors have waited too long for an effective response to their suffering and the future protection of Australian children must be given the highest priority "he said.
End of article.
smiddy

I thought some here would have commented on the final report being handed down in December this year bringing closure to an investigation that has been ongoing for the past 4 years.
With the next step going forward as to how effective this ARC has been in bringing real change to all the institutions that were brought before this inquiry
Some have made positive statements of change that they are implementing due to the ARC .that I know of.
Many others I do not know of their stance.
However I believe the WTB&TS /Jehovahs Witnesses have taken exception to a number of recomendations that the ARC addressed as real problems of concern
It will be very interesting just how the Australian legal profession responds to the recomendations the ARC reports to them on the inadequate response of certain institutions to the recomendations they make to them.by non compliance of their directives.
Anybody ?
darkspilver

This is the 'quote' in full - not just the 'selected' bits that the media choose to use: (FYI I've bolded the quote the Herals Sun used)
The Hon Justice Peter McClellan AM, Chair, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
The Royal Commission commenced its work in early 2013. After taking the necessary preparatory steps, including initiating private sessions, we held our first case study hearing in Sydney in September 2013. Today we commence our last case study hearing.
In my opening remarks at the September 2013 hearing I said that although it was well known that the sexual abuse of children had been widespread in the Australian community, the full range of institutions in which it had occurred was not generally understood. I also said that the character and effectiveness of the response to allegations of abuse within institutions had not generally been exposed.
The information we have now gathered through private sessions and other means has identified more than 4,000 institutions where the abuse of children is alleged to have occurred.
It is remarkable that failures have occurred in so many institutions. It is now apparent that many of the characteristics of failure within institutions are common, although there are sometimes significant individual characteristics.
The information we have received would justify a public hearing with respect to a number of the 4,000 institutions. However, there are a number of reasons why this is not possible.
The resources which must be dedicated to the investigation of an institution and the preparation for a public hearing are extensive. In the course of our investigations we have served notice for the compulsory production of more than 1.2 million documents. From the documents produced relevant material must be extracted and organised so that an accurate and comprehensive account can be given of the conduct of people within the institution. Witness statements must be taken. This can be a complex and time consuming task.
Apart from the resources required to conduct a public hearing our terms of reference, rightly, do not require us to publicly investigate issues which have been examined by other inquiries. We must also ensure that any hearing does not trespass upon the fair trial of an individual who has been accused of abusing a child.
Apart from our work in the investigation and conduct of public hearings the Commissioners are required to conduct private sessions throughout Australia. As of today we have conducted more than 6,500 private sessions. But nearly 2,000 people remain awaiting their session. The Commission’s schedule will ensure that each of these persons has a private session. Some may take place close to our finishing date in the second week of December this year. Obviously private sessions place demands on Commissioners’ time which limit our ability to conduct public hearings
When the Commission was initiated our terms of reference provided that we should complete our task within three years. We soon realised that this would not be possible and in our interim report in 2014, we recommended to government that our term be extended for another two years. This was done.
Although it was apparent that we could never conduct a hearing in relation to every institution about which we had information we were satisfied that with the additional two years we would be able to publically examine the various types of institutions where abuse had occurred. We would also be able to ensure that at least one inquiry was conducted in every State and Territory.
We have also reflected in our choice of institutions the number of persons who have come to a private session from a particular institution or institutional type.
We have now conducted hearings into both public and private schools, detention centres, out of home care, churches, orphanages and government bodies. We have also inquired into defence establishments, sporting clubs, after school care, dance and performing arts academies, institutions providing services for children with disability, scouts, health care providers, and a yoga ashram. We have also held public hearings into criminal justice. We have sat in every capital city and some regional centres. By the conclusion of this hearing we will have sat for 400 days in public. We will have heard evidence from more than 1,200 witnesses.
I appreciate that there are likely to be many people who are disappointed that we have not conducted a public hearing into the institution in which they were abused. As I have previously explained there will be different reasons why a particular institution may not have been examined. It may be that criminal proceedings are underway and a public hearing by the Commission could prejudice a fair trial. It may also be that the documentary trail is inadequate to enable us to ascertain the institutions response to the problems.
Apart from these matters our terms of reference require us to focus on systemic issues. In selecting the institutions to examine in a public hearing we have endeavoured to ensure that the hearing will enable us to explore and provide recommendations which respond to those issues.
The Royal Commission has now delivered 33 case study reports to government. A further eight are in the course of preparation. We have also delivered final reports with respect to Working With Children Checks and redress and civil litigation. A significant report in relation to the criminal justice system is presently programmed to be delivered to government in August this year. We have consulted with many people both informally and through a program of issues papers and roundtables.
We have also commissioned and published 44 research reports across a broad range of issues relevant to the Commission’s work. Apart from the expertise held within the Commission this has enabled us to draw upon the learning of national and international experts across many disciplines. Our research is unprecedented in its scale and we hope it will be part of the continuing legacy of the Royal Commission.
When the Commissioners advised the government that they were seeking an extended term we indicated that we believed this would enable us to gather sufficient information to give the Commissioners, the public, and relevant institutions an understanding of how institutions failed. I believe this has been achieved.
Apart from our public hearings and private sessions the Commissioners are now, and will for some months be, engaged with our many dedicated staff in preparing the final report which will include comprehensive recommendations designed to better protect children in the future.
After this year the community’s resources, both government and institutional, should be focused on providing effective redress and implementing regulatory and other changes designed to ensure that so far as possible no child is abused in an institutional context in the future. Survivors have waited too long for an effective response to their suffering and the future protection of Australian children must be given the highest priority. These objectives can only be fully achieved following the delivery of our final report. That report will be delivered to the Governor General on 15 December this year.
darkspilver

Male clergy were most commonly perpertrators of the abuse followed by teachers and residential care workers while boys aged 10-14 were the most common victims.
FYI, below are the fuller numbers as presented to the ARC, rather than just the selected bits that the media chooses to focus on:
As at 31 December 2016, the Royal Commission had heard from 5,705 people in private sessions. By the end of the inquiry, the Royal Commission anticipates it will have held more than 8,000 private sessions.

Gender
Of survivors who attended private sessions the majority, that is 64 per cent, were male. Thirty six per cent were female. However, research and prevalence studies have shown that girls comprise a higher proportion of victims of child sexual abuse when considering non-institutional settings.
More male survivors in private sessions described being victims of other children’s harmful sexual behaviours than female survivors.
The gender breakdown of survivors who attended private sessions varied depending on the management of the institution in which they told the Commissioners abuse occurred. Of survivors who said they were abused in an institution managed by a government organisation, 55 per cent were male.
Of survivors who said they were abused in an institution managed by secular organisations, 66 per cent were male.
70 per cent of survivors reporting abuse in religious institutions in private sessions were male.
The proportion of male and female survivors in private sessions varied according to the type of institution where the abuse was said to have taken place. The Royal Commission heard from more female survivors than male who were sexually abused in childcare and health settings. The Royal Commission heard from more male survivors than female who were sexually abused in places of worship, out of home care, social support services, juvenile justice and detention, educational, recreation, sports and clubs, armed forces and youth employment settings.
The proportion of male and female survivors varied over time. 65 per cent of survivors who told the Royal Commission they were abused before 1990 were male – 35% were female. Of those survivors who reported abuse post 1990, 56% were male and 44% female.

Victim age
The most common age range of victims when they experienced the first episode of abuse was between ten and 14 years old. Forty six per cent of victims were in this age range.
Twenty eight per cent were abused when they were between five and nine years.
Ten per cent of survivors were abused when they were between the ages of 15 and 17 years.
Five per cent of survivors were abused when they were under five years of age.
These numbers are consistent with other research about child sexual abuse in institutional settings.
Female victims tended to report that the abuse commenced at a younger age than male victims.

Adult perpetrators
The majority of perpetrators reported were adult males, that is nearly 94 per cent of survivors reported abuse by a male perpetrator. Just under eleven per cent reported abuse by female perpetrators. Seven per cent reported abuse by both male and female perpetrators.
The people who were reported during private sessions as having sexually abused children had different ages, ethnicities and socio-economic status. Some were married or in relationships, while others were not.
The Royal Commission heard that most adults who sexually abuse a child in an institutional context already have close contact with their victim prior to the abuse.
The positions held by adult perpetrators within institutions most commonly reported were members of the clergy, that is 32 per cent, teachers, that is 21 per cent and residential care workers, that is 13 per cent.

People who sexually abuse children
During private sessions, the Royal Commission gathered a significant amount of information about the people who the Commissioners were told have sexually abused children in institutional contexts. This included information on both adult perpetrators and children with harmful sexual behaviours.
The Royal Commission uses the term children with harmful sexual behaviours to describe people under the age of 18 who sexually harm other children in institutional contexts. This term is used to distinguish them from adult perpetrators of child sexual abuse in institutional contexts. This is because the level of sexual and emotional development, and criminal responsibility of children with harmful sexual behaviours is considered to be different from adults. While a criminal justice response is appropriate for adult perpetrators, children below the age of 10 are not legally responsible for their actions in Australian jurisdictions. Children aged between 10 and 14 years of age must have their legal responsibility determined in a court of law.
Of all survivors who attended a private session, 16 per cent reported that another child had sexually abused them.
In most cases reported to Commissioners in private sessions, the victims of children with harmful sexual behaviours were male, that is 62 per cent. Forty five per cent of survivors reported experiencing abuse by children with harmful sexual behaviours in a historical out-of-home care institution. Eighteen per cent reported the abuse occurring in educational settings, and eleven per cent reported the abuse in juvenile justice settings.

Duration, frequency of abuse, and number of perpetrators
Not all people who attended private sessions shared information about the duration of the abuse they experienced. Of those who did, 37 per cent reported episodes of abuse that lasted for longer than one year. Two per cent of survivors said they experienced abuse that lasted longer than 10 years.
Just under 80 per cent of survivors reported multiple episodes of abuse. The majority of survivors, 78 per cent experienced abuse in a single institution. Sixteen per cent told the Commissioners that they were abused in two institutions, and six per cent said they were abused in three or more institutions.
Most survivors told the Commissioners they experienced abuse by a single perpetrator, 64 per cent. Thirty six per cent of survivors told the Commissioners in private sessions that they had been abused by multiple perpetrators.

Types of institutions
The institution types most commonly reported to the Royal Commission were managed by religious organisations. These institutions accounted for 60 per cent of all reports by survivors in private sessions. Survivors reported over 1,500 institutions managed by religious organisations, which was equivalent to just over half, 53 per cent of all institutions named in private sessions.
More than 2000 of all private session attendees reported sexual abuse in a Catholic institution. At present that is over 37% of attendees at private sessions. That percentage has varied over time. The other denominations commonly reported by survivors were institutions managed by the Anglican Church, which was reported by 500 survivors in over 200 institutions, and the Salvation Army which was the subject of report by more than 250 survivors in approximately 50 institutions.
Just over one third of survivors, that is 35 per cent reported during private sessions that they were abused in an institution under government management. The Commissioners were told about more than 900 government institutions, totalling 32 per cent of institutions named in private sessions.
Ten per cent of survivors reported that they were abused in institutions under secular management. The Commissioners were told about more than 400 secular institutions, totalling 14 per cent of institutions.
Institutions which were reported, provided a wide range of services or activities. In private sessions, survivors most commonly reported institutions that provided historical out-of-home care (39 per cent), education (32 per cent), and religious instruction or association with places of worship (15 per cent).
Patterns of abuse in institutions have changed over time. Some institution types reported during private sessions are no longer a feature of children’s lives in contemporary Australia. For example, orphanages, missions, children’s homes, reformatories and industrial schools do not exist today. Children’s engagement with other institution types has also changed across different periods. Children are now required to attend more years at school, more children are involved in sport and recreational activities, and the number of children in childcare has increased.
https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-study/e341c435-f077-4a98-96eb-8d48779c1d98/case-study-57,-march-2017,-sydney
waton

If jw abusers/rapists , which were, we must assume, private individuals, with a small percentage of ms, elders, are lumped in with teachers, caregivers priests acting in professional capacities in institutions dedicated to the care of children,--- good luck trying to get attention of 1 in 4000.
One attack, of course, like the ones exposed is one too many. hopefully this massive exposure will really help to stop it.
kpop

I love how only two groups are responsible for the majority of the child abuse: The JW and the RCC. Considering the RCC has 1.7 Billion members, the total percentage of child abuse is very low compared to the JW with only 8 million (pathetic) members. The irony is stunning. Years ago I remember the WT would go on long rants about how bad the Catholic Church was and they had many child abuse cases and the JWs I knew were actually celebrating that news because it made them look good. Suddenly, their scandal has been exposed and now they are silent!
blondie

The thing I remember is that the survivors were children when it happened and it was kept secret. Now people see them as adults and don't see the child they were then. At SNAP conventions, survivors wear a picture of themselves around their neck at the age they were when it started, to give others perspective. Yes, some have been waiting too long.
Me, my abuser died, 11 years ago, from a very painful disease.....
smiddy

Thank you darkspilver for posting the full quote.
smiddy3

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4000 places of Abuse says the Australian Royal Commission on track to deliver its final report on Dec.15

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