AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
10 April, 2017
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has released a new research report that finds Australian oversight bodies have inconsistent scope and powers in protecting children from sexual abuse in institutions.
Professor Ben Mathews from the Queensland University of Technology was contracted by the Royal Commission to examine the strengths and weaknesses of existing regulatory and oversight bodies in protecting children from sexual abuse.
The research report, Oversight and regulatory mechanisms aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse: Understanding current evidence of efficacy, finds there are differences across jurisdictions in presence, nature, scope and powers.
The oversight bodies examined included ombudsman’s offices, reportable conduct schemes, children’s commissions, community visitors schemes, child advocates and children’s guardians and crime and misconduct commissions. The report also examines regulatory systems across a range of sectors including non-government schools, early childhood and care, the medical sector and sport and recreation.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.