Salvation Army Official Fronts Abuse Inquiry

Sky News
October 8, 2015

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/national/2015/10/09/salvation-army-official-fronts-abuse-inquiry.html

A senior Salvation Army official will appear before a royal commission after three days of evidence detailing the physical and sexual abuse suffered by boys at four homes run by the organisation in three states.

Commissioner Floyd Tidd will front the inquiry in Adelaide on Friday as it examines the Salvos' response to allegations of abuse between 1940 and 1980.

The commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse is examining the treatment of residents at the Eden Park home in Adelaide, the Box Hill and Bayswater homes in Melbourne and a home at Nedlands in Perth.

It has already heard from a string of witnesses who have told how they were beaten and sexually assaulted, some more than 200 times.

On Thursday, Ross Rogers told how he was threatened with a knife and had his nose broken by an army employee at Box Hill who sexually abused him at almost every opportunity over a four-year period from 1965.

On more than one occasion, odd-job man Willem Willemsen warned the boy against revealing what was happening.

'He would pause and look me in the eyes and his voice would change,' Mr Rogers said.

'He said to me 'I can get to you any time if you tell anybody what is happening'.

The commission has also heard that the Salvation Army has paid out almost $18 million after receiving more than 400 claims for compensation.

However, many victims remain unhappy with their settlements with some receiving just a few thousand dollars.

One has called on the Salvation Army to reopen all settlements to pay more adequate amounts while others want the organisation to cover ongoing expenses including medical and counselling bills.