Abuse Opinions Sought

Newcastle Herald
May 4, 2015

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3056499/abuse-opinions-sought/

CHILD abuse survivors who reported the crime are being asked to tell how they were treated by police and the courts.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has flagged that fundamental changes may need to be made to the criminal justice system when it comes to dealing with victims of child sexual abuse.

As part of its research the commission wants people who experienced the system, either as a complainant, a lawyer or a victims' support professional, to share their observations.

Across 26 public hearings since 2013, evidence has been given of police in Queensland, NSW Western Australia and Victoria returning children to state and church-run homes even though they reported being sexually and physically abused at the institutions.

Evidence has also been presented on the failure of COPS - the police database - when it came to keeping track of alleged paedophiles. AAP