Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse Struggles to Find Kimberley People to Testify

By Erin Parke
ABC News
April 10, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-10/royal-commission-into-child-sex-abuse-struggles-to-find-kimberl/5381984?section=wa

PHOTO: David Francis says he is not angry or bitter. (ABC News)

David Francis is not bitter, nor angry. He is simply sad for those who suffered abuse, and are still too scared to talk about it.

"It's a pretty hard thing to deal with," he said.

"When you start going back and talking about things, you're going to bring up your past again, so what happens is it can affect your mental stability. It's a hard thing to talk about."

At the age of seven, Mr Francis was made a ward of the state and sent to the Beagle Bay mission, north of Broome.

There he says he was abused.

"Sexual abuse happened on the mission pretty common. Especially in the dormitories, there was sexual abuse going on there," he said.

The 51-year-old plans to tell his story to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.

But he is one of only a handful of people from the Kimberley who have expressed interest in doing so.

Despite six months of visiting bush communities, prisons and hospitals, only a single person from the region has signed up to testify.

Mr Francis says there are many reasons Aboriginal people who suffered in state or church care don't want to talk to the Royal Commission.

"I think people are a bit wary about government and what's going to come out of the inquiry. Will anyone be compensated, and most importantly, will it prevent further sexual abuse?

"Will anybody from the church be charged, or people from whatever institution they belonged to?"

Catholic church influence still strong

He says adding to the wall of silence is the huge influence the Catholic Church still exerts over Aboriginal communities in the north, with many retaining a genuine affection and loyalty to the nuns that cared for them.

In other cases, he says it is something more akin to Stockholm Syndrome, where people have a blind loyalty to the Church they grew up with no matter what.

"The people that have spoken out about abuse in the past, sometimes their own family would turn on them, 'you can't say that about the Church, be quiet'," he said.

"So that pressure makes it very difficult."

The Catholic Bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders, says while he is not aware of Mr Francis' allegations of abuse, he will be supporting anyone who comes forward to tell their story to the Royal Commission.

"I think that it's a welcome process so long as there is care and concern given in due proportion to those who perhaps have been victims."

Last year, not long after the Royal Commission was announced, he addressed Catholic parishioners from Aboriginal communities across the region who had made a pilgrimage to Beagle Bay.

He says he told those gathered there that they had nothing to fear from speaking out about their own experiences.

"This royal commission offers us an opportunity to tell our story, and if there are people who have stories to tell, then it's time, and a good thing to step forward, and we'd like to support anyone who wants to do that," he said.

Asked whether he was aware of abuse allegations, Bishop Saunders told the ABC there are "no cases outstanding or pending before me at the moment of sexual abuse, or physical abuse, or emotional abuse".

Organisations like Relationships Australia are dealing daily with people's fear and distrust as they set about trying to case-manage those who sign up to testify.

It is one of three agencies who have been funded to deliver support services in the Kimberley.

But program manager Charmaine Kennedy says they have so far only had one person sign up.

"We have made many attempts, we've sent emails out, sent brochures, visited the remote communities and spoken to agencies," she said.

"I feel a bit disappointed because I feel like the most vulnerable people are not getting the support they need."

Last week, Ms Kennedy hosted a public information session in Broome. When the ABC visited, the function room was empty.

"We have catered for this function, we have two staff who've flown up from Perth, we've booked a room, so there's a lot of cost involved with this," she said.

"The idea was that we'd find out if there is any interest, and unfortunately it doesn't seem like there is."

Royal Commission CEO Janette Dines says the aim was always to get a cross-section of abuse victims involved.

"It is vital that we engage with people right around the country," she said.

"We are a national royal commission, and we really want to work to get our message out to people in the regions, who might face barriers in terms of coming forward."

But she points out it is up to the individual whether they want to take part.

"If people don't come forward and engage with the Royal Commission, well that's their choice. But from our perspective, as long as it wasn't because they didn't have enough information, that's what we're trying to avoid," she said.

The royal commission will soon decide whether to fly commissioners to Broome to take testimony in person in private hearings.

Ms Dines says that will only happen if there are enough people signed up to make it worthwhile.