Advocacy Group Criticises Limits on Royal Commission

By Timothy McDonald
The ABC News
January 12, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-12/advocacy-group-criticises-limits-on-royal-commission/4462076

The Care Leavers of Australia Network says the royal commission should also investigate incidents of non-sexual child abuse.

[with audio]

A group representing people who were abused while in care has criticised the Federal Government's decision to limit the terms of reference for the Royal Commission to cover only cases of sexual abuse.

[terms of reference - Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse]

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's announcement of the terms of reference for the royal commission into child sexual abuse has been widely embraced by advocacy groups.

The commission will have the power to set up a special investigations unit which can provide evidence to police, and it will also recommend law changes and consider compensation.

But the Care Leavers of Australia Network (CLAN) says it is a mistake to limit the inquiry's investigation to the sexual abuse of children, when many other forms of abuse have also been common.

Leonie Sheedy, the group's co-founder and chief executive, says she is pleased the commission is going ahead but warns limiting the terms of reference is a mistake.

"I think sadly they have neglected the criminal assaults on children, the unpaid labour in the laundries and on the farms and in the orphanages," she said.

"They've neglected the psychological abuse, being told that you're a no-hoper every day of your life."

She says there are many cases of non-sexual abuse that also need to be addressed.

"What about all the punching in the backs, where there is no nudity involved?" she said.

"I saw two nuns drag a girls through a dormitory and throw her into cold bath water and put her head under, you know. That is a violation of people's human rights."

Bob O'Toole from the Clergy Abused Network says the mere existence of the royal commission will help.

The Clergy Abused Network helps victims in the Hunter - a region that has seen some of the country's worst cases.

Mr O'Toole says he's largely pleased with the terms of reference and he expects many who have suffered abuse at the hands of clergy feel the same.

"I think the people have felt deterred simply by the fact that it's all too much," he said.

"Those people that I know that felt like that - now that they have done something positive about it - feel much, much better and it's greatly improved their outlook on life and their self-esteem.

"The time frame in which the commissioners are going to have to give reports, I think that's good.

"I hope that it's a great thing for our country. Our particular region has suffered fairly horrendously, so there'd be a lot of people rejoicing.

The six commissioners appointed by the prime minister have been given until the end of 2015 to deliver their final report.