Church Abuse Victims Submit Long List of Atrocities

ABC Ballarat
September 20, 2012

http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2012/09/20/3594226.htm

Church abuse victim Stephen Woods feels somewhat dissatisfied as the parliamentary inquiry submission close date approaches. (Margaret Burin - ABC Local)

Stephen Woods talks about the abuse he encountered from the age of 11 as freely and openly as he would discuss his first car or where he grew up.

Abused by two Christian Brothers and a priest while attending Ballarat's St Alipius Christian Brothers School and St Patrick's College, he says it's just part of his history.

"This was not my fault, that was one of the things I had to decide years ago."

In April this year, the Victorian Government announced a parliamentary inquiry into the handling of alleged criminal abuse of children by religious and other organisations.

Submissions for that inquiry will close on Friday.

Stephen is one of 32 men who have co-signed a submission, which includes an extensive list of physical and sexual abuse.

"There were bashing with hard objects including a wheel brace, punching with closed fists to many parts of the body including the neck, the head, the buttocks in particular, putting your head in the toilet and forcing you to stay there until the toilet could totally not flush anymore , being hit on the head and face or other parts of the body with a ball-peen hammer and one particular victim had his facial bones fractured, people being put into mental asylums because they wanted to talk about this," he says.

"These sort of violent acts made the kids submissive to the large guys who would just beat the crap out of you."

Once suicidal, he says voicing his story was part of the healing process.

He's urging others who experienced abuse at the hands of the church to come forward with a submission.

"These paedophiles, these mongrels were known about for years beforehand and they were just covered up and covered up and covered up."

While dissatisfied with the terms of reference of the inquiry, which does not single out the Catholic Church and focuses on the handling of the abuse, not the abuse itself, Stephen is happy that there is an inquiry.

But he says there is a long way to go to bring the Catholic Church to justice.

"There needs to be a Royal Commission because the amount of assaults, bashings, rapes and the affect that this has had on so many people, I think a Royal Commission would really bring all of these things out, but it would be so big."

Listen to the audio to hear Stephen Wood's talk about his abuse and feelings as the inquiry submissions come to a close.

If you or someone you know is feeling depressed contact beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or for urgent help call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.