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.