AUSTRALIA
9 News
The vast majority of victims of pedophile priests came forward as adults many years after the abuse, the child abuse royal commission has heard.
Only three victims have gone to the Catholic Church’s Melbourne Response scheme, set up in 1996 to handle clergy sex abuse claims in the Melbourne archdiocese, while still children.
Church lawyer Richard Leder said the vast majority of more than 300 victims came forward as adults.
“It was and remained very unusual for a victim to come forward so soon after the abuse,” Mr Leder told the commission on Thursday.
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