AUSTRALIA
Illawarra Mercury
By DAVID SHOEBRIDGE Aug. 14, 2013
Too many people have turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse of children, writes DAVID SHOEBRIDGE.
Since coming into the NSW Parliament almost three years ago, I have worked to ensure that the crime of child sexual abuse is prosecuted as one of the most heinous crimes on the statute books. In that time I have been very critical of the failure, especially of the Catholic Church, to report abuse to police.
In working with the many courageous groups and individuals who support survivors of sexual abuse I have had my eyes opened to the real extent of the problem. They have shown me many cases where organisations have treated the sexual abuse of children as a lesser crime than the sexual abuse of adults. In many cases it has not been treated as a crime at all.
This has happened because for too long, too many people have turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse of children. When children reported what had happened to them they were often disbelieved, particularly if the abuser was a person in a position of authority. This must not continue.
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