WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Catholic Weekly
June 14, 2020
By Debbie Cramsie
Amendments to strip the seal of confession in cases of discussion about child abuse “betrayal of every survivor’s journey of recovery”, say survivors in a petition.
Victims of childhood sexual abuse from across Western Australia feel betrayed and angry over the interference of the Seal of Confession by the State’s Minister for Child Protection.
Non-Catholic and Catholic survivors are petitioning members of WA’s Legislative Council to reject proposed amendments to the Children and Community Services Act, which will require Catholic priests to report knowledge of child sexual abuse when received through the practice of confession.
James Parker, who runs peer support groups for child abuse survivors in Western Australia, said the proposed legislation was a “betrayal of every survivor’s journey of recovery”.
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