AUSTRALIA
The Australian
January 17, 2017
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DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10
The nation’s police commissioners are set to make a historic apology to the victims of child-sex abuse in institutional care who were not believed when they reported these crimes or, worse, were returned to their abusers.
The true number of such abuse victims will never be known as records were not kept, have since been lost or were destroyed.
That such an apology is being considered at this level shows both its extent and the damage done are feared to be significant.
More than half a million children are estimated to have spent time in an orphanage, home or foster care over the past century. They represent more than 40 per cent of the 6349 people who have given evidence in private to the child abuse royal commission to date saying they were abused.
In a letter sent last week and seen by The Australian, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton says the Australian and New Zealand Police Commissioners Forum met recently to discuss a potential apology to those affected. Writing to the Care Leavers Australasia Network, which represents people who were in institutional care and has campaigned on the issue for several years, Mr Ashton says the other police commissioners “asked me to convey their sincere empathy about the concerns … raised”.
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