Last week’s hearing into the Catholic Church’s response to child sex abuse made for grim listening, and showed there is still much reform work to be done.
Will Mike Baird be the premier to stop the intergenerational cycle of abuse and neglect of children in care?
AAP/Dean Lewins
The NSW government’s latest promised solution to well-documented abuse in the out-of-home care system is, in fact, a re-run of promises made by the Carr government more than a decade ago.
Former carer Natalie Ottini shared her experiences of working in residential group homes on the ABC’s Four Corners program.
ABC/Poppy Stockell
We have decades of evidence showing the widespread abuse and neglect suffered by children in the out-of-home care system. The agencies responsible for allowing the abuse have little to fear.
Journalists with the skills to dig into social media can discover connections between key players in complex, often global stories.
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From a social media post that cracked open a decades-old abuse scandal in the UK and Australia, through to tracking asylum seekers, social media can be vital in breaking investigative news stories.
A doll lies in the ghost town of Pripyat, abandoned since the nearby Chernobyl power plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown in 1986.
Henrik Ismarker/Flickr
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse has documented heart-rending testimonies and elicited shattering revelations. But how does a society witness itself failing at its most fundamental duty?
Peter Dutton dismissed many of the ‘Nauru files’, including those documenting sexual assault, as ‘false allegations in an attempt to get to Australia’.
AAP/Dan Peled
The Catholic bishops have exhorted Australians to cast a “vote for the voiceless”, but it is doubtful that their plea will be paid much heed – by politicians or the public.
The last census revealed that just over 60% of Australians identified as Christian, but only one in seven of those attended church regularly.
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One of the most important lessons we have learnt from George Pell’s royal commission appearance is the Catholic Church was – and still is – in a state of denial over child sexual abuse.
George Pell’s evidence, which implied that children’s complaints of abuse were widely disbelieved ‘back then’, overlooks the long history of successful prosecutions.
AAP/Jeremy Piper
George Pell told the royal commission into child sex abuse the Catholic Church was predisposed not to believe children’s complaints. But, when abuse was reported, police and the courts believed them.
Soaring community outrage over the issue of child sexual abuse was this week fanned by a Tim Minchin song calling for Cardinal George Pell to return home to Australia to give evidence to the royal commission.
Tim Minchin’s song-craft is direct yet sophisticated, and artfully constructed.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Tim Minchin’s latest musical offering, Come Home Cardinal Pell, is provoking strong reactions because of its blunt and direct message to Cardinal George Pell. But in terms of song-craft, it’s a winner.
Nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture, Spotlight has won over critics with its compelling story and strong cast featuring Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo.
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If you haven’t seen Oscar winner Spotlight yet, go. It tells the true story of how decades of abuse in one city was finally uncovered - followed by revelations worldwide, including in my home town.
Some who survived abuse as children have waited a lifetime to be heard, and the royal commission has given people like John Ellis that opportunity.
AAP/Jeremy Piper
The silencing of children has as long a history as child abuse itself. It is why we need royal commissions, books, and now a play: to allow children to tell us the truth of what was done to them.
Outlining a redress framework for survivors was a priority for the royal commission.
AAP/Jeremy Piper
The royal commission has made a convincing case for a national scheme for redress: it is more prudent in terms of economies of scale, and more fair and equitable to survivors.
Former Prisoner star Maggie Kirkpatrick was found guilty of a charge of child sex abuse dating back to the 1980s.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Many factors are at play in enabling or constraining a child to speak directly about abuse and bringing that complaint to the attention of the authorities.
The royal commission is committed to hearing from children and young people directly.
AAP/Jeremy Piper
Tim Moore, Australian Catholic University and Morag McArthur, Australian Catholic University
Only when adults and institutions hear from children and young people directly, take their views and ideas seriously and act on what they say will institutions will become safer places.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are under the spotlight at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not report child abuse to authorities. Instead, they convene an in-house judicial committee, which is fraught with difficulty because they rely on a “two-witness rule”.
An issue to emerge from the royal commission hearings is the inadequacy of existing law for dealing with institutions whose negligence made child sexual abuse possible.
AAP/Royal Commission
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has published a research paper that suggests organisations be held criminally responsible when their negligence results in harm to children.
Broadcaster Derryn Hinch is a prominent campaigner for US-style sex offender registries, but it is important to be aware of their limitations.
AAP/Dan Peled
Western Australia was the first state in the nation to allow public access to a sex offender register online. The public needs to understand how it works to avoid a false sense of security.