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Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse
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Could child sex abuse be successfully treated ?
A German program that claims to prevent the sexual abuse of children.
Top: Klaus Beier is the director of the Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine. For more than 15 years, Beier has been running Project Dunkelfeld, a treatment program for pedophilia that aims to prevent the sexual abuse of children.
By Jordan Michael Smith
06.07.2021
Visuals: Jacobia Dahm
Klaus Beier is the archetypal German sexologist. Terse, bald, and, during a Zoom call last fall, wearing a blue blazer and clear-rimmed eyeglasses, he exudes annoyance at questions about his work with pedophiles — which, he suggests, is now widely accepted in his country, and is supported by politicians and major philanthropies. Beier heads an institute at one of Europe’s biggest university hospitals and has appeared on numerous national talk shows. In 2017, he was even awarded the Order of Merit, Germany’s equivalent of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Nearly everywhere outside Germany, however, what Beier has been doing for more than 15 years would be not just controversial but illegal. He founded and directs Prevention Project Dunkelfeld, arguably the world’s most radical social experiment in treating pedophilia. The experiment hinges on a risky proposition: not reporting those who have offended. Instead, Beier and his team promote prevention, rather than punishment, by encouraging people who are sexually attracted to children and adolescents to come forward to receive therapy and medication instead of acting on their urges or going untreated by health professionals. Dunkelfeld guarantees all patients anonymity and free outpatient treatment. After completing the one-year program, patients receive follow-up treatment, never having to interact with the justice system. Since 2005, Beier says, thousands have reached out to take up the offer.
undark.org
A German program that claims to prevent the sexual abuse of children.
Can a Radical Treatment for Pedophilia Work Outside of Germany?
A German sexologist wants to export his controversial approach, but the idea faces legal and cultural hurdles.
Top: Klaus Beier is the director of the Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine. For more than 15 years, Beier has been running Project Dunkelfeld, a treatment program for pedophilia that aims to prevent the sexual abuse of children.
By Jordan Michael Smith
06.07.2021
Visuals: Jacobia Dahm
Klaus Beier is the archetypal German sexologist. Terse, bald, and, during a Zoom call last fall, wearing a blue blazer and clear-rimmed eyeglasses, he exudes annoyance at questions about his work with pedophiles — which, he suggests, is now widely accepted in his country, and is supported by politicians and major philanthropies. Beier heads an institute at one of Europe’s biggest university hospitals and has appeared on numerous national talk shows. In 2017, he was even awarded the Order of Merit, Germany’s equivalent of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Nearly everywhere outside Germany, however, what Beier has been doing for more than 15 years would be not just controversial but illegal. He founded and directs Prevention Project Dunkelfeld, arguably the world’s most radical social experiment in treating pedophilia. The experiment hinges on a risky proposition: not reporting those who have offended. Instead, Beier and his team promote prevention, rather than punishment, by encouraging people who are sexually attracted to children and adolescents to come forward to receive therapy and medication instead of acting on their urges or going untreated by health professionals. Dunkelfeld guarantees all patients anonymity and free outpatient treatment. After completing the one-year program, patients receive follow-up treatment, never having to interact with the justice system. Since 2005, Beier says, thousands have reached out to take up the offer.
Can a Radical Treatment for Pedophilia Work Outside of Germany?
A German sexologist wants to export his controversial approach, but the idea faces legal and cultural hurdles.
undark.org
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The story behind child sexual abuse in the Jehovah Witnesses community is coming out.
The ABC has a story which looks at a number of examples and highlights how the witnesses control their members.
Check it out on 4 Corners tonight
www.abc.net.au
The ABC has a story which looks at a number of examples and highlights how the witnesses control their members.
Check it out on 4 Corners tonight
Inside the secretive world of the Jehovah's Witnesses and those fighting back
Not much has changed since the cruel treatment of abuse victims in the Jehovah's Witnesses was exposed. Now, former members are fighting back.
www.abc.net.au
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The story of Grace Tame is quite powerful. What we were told originally was that she had been groomed by her teacher in a Hobart Private school. But the larger story of her life and the factors that allowed/encouraged this abuse are also compelling.
Perhaps worth considering because she clearly speaks for the hundreds of children who were also abused but havn't had the capacity to be heard, believed and stand up.
Grace Tame has lost track of the number of speeches she’s given since being named Australian of the Year. She just knows she can’t keep up this pace forever.
But the speech that had perhaps the most profound impact on her is the one she gave to senior students and teachers at St Michael’s Collegiate school in Hobart.
For it was here, 11 years earlier, that she was groomed and sexually abused over six months by a teacher. She was 15, he was 58.
Grace Tame is an exceptional communicator, capable of delivering a clear, powerful message and talking about her own personal trauma in a way that doesn’t alienate her audience.
“She’s so fiercely strong while being incredibly vulnerable at the same time,” says close friend Maddison Cutler. “And I think that’s why so many people can connect with her.”
But it wasn’t easy being thrust into the limelight in January this year and telling her story over and over again while still processing her trauma.
“I’m a 26-year-old survivor of child sexual abuse on this healing journey while under intense public scrutiny,” Grace explains.
“I have a sense of humour and I present as being robust but the re-traumatisation of being asked questions repeatedly that force me to relive my past, you know, I’m taken back there.”
“A lot of people see her talking about the rape, the sexual abuse and they think she’s distanced herself from it, she’s processed it,” Maddison says. “When in reality, she’s just learnt how to talk about this because it’s important and it needs to be talked about.”
www.abc.net.au
Perhaps worth considering because she clearly speaks for the hundreds of children who were also abused but havn't had the capacity to be heard, believed and stand up.
Grace under fire
Grace Tame raised her voice and started a revolution that would change the national conversation. But being Australian of the Year has taken a toll.Grace Tame has lost track of the number of speeches she’s given since being named Australian of the Year. She just knows she can’t keep up this pace forever.
But the speech that had perhaps the most profound impact on her is the one she gave to senior students and teachers at St Michael’s Collegiate school in Hobart.
For it was here, 11 years earlier, that she was groomed and sexually abused over six months by a teacher. She was 15, he was 58.
Grace Tame is an exceptional communicator, capable of delivering a clear, powerful message and talking about her own personal trauma in a way that doesn’t alienate her audience.
“She’s so fiercely strong while being incredibly vulnerable at the same time,” says close friend Maddison Cutler. “And I think that’s why so many people can connect with her.”
But it wasn’t easy being thrust into the limelight in January this year and telling her story over and over again while still processing her trauma.
“I’m a 26-year-old survivor of child sexual abuse on this healing journey while under intense public scrutiny,” Grace explains.
“I have a sense of humour and I present as being robust but the re-traumatisation of being asked questions repeatedly that force me to relive my past, you know, I’m taken back there.”
“A lot of people see her talking about the rape, the sexual abuse and they think she’s distanced herself from it, she’s processed it,” Maddison says. “When in reality, she’s just learnt how to talk about this because it’s important and it needs to be talked about.”
'He's been in this room': Grace Tame's most powerful speech yet back at former school
Just 26, and still processing years of trauma, Grace Tame was thrust into the limelight when she became Australian of the Year. She looks back over a turbulent 10 months.
www.abc.net.au
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The Courts have finally woken up.
A Judge has ruled that the Catholic Church can't pretend it isn't responsible for a priest when the priest abuses a child in his community.
The church argued the priest who had committed the abuse was not a formal employee and so it could not be held liable for his actions. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP
Christopher Knaus
@knausc
Wed 5 Jan 2022 03.30 AEDT
Last modified on Wed 5 Jan 2022 03.32 AEDT
The Catholic church’s failed attempt to argue it was not responsible for a priest’s abuse of a five-year-old, because it took place during after-hours “social” visits, has been slammed as “ruthless” by the survivor and an “affront to common sense” by a judge.
In December 2021, the Victorian supreme court handed down a judgment finding the current diocese of Ballarat was vicariously liable for the abuse of the boy, who cannot be named, by Father Bryan Coffey in Port Fairy in the early 1970s.
The survivor’s lawyers, Ken Cush & Associates, say the ruling is a landmark win that will help countless other survivors.
Coffey abused the boy during pastoral care visits to his home on two occasions in 1971.
The critical issue in the case was whether Coffey, an assistant parish priest, could be considered a formal employee of the diocese at the time, thereby making it vicariously liable for his actions.
Bid by Catholic church to stop child sexual abuse case rejected by NSW supreme court
Read more
The church argued Coffey was not a formal employee and so it could not be held liable for his actions.
It also said Coffey’s home visits were “social outings” not connected to his work for the church.
The judge in the case, Justice Jack Forrest, described the suggestion as “sheer nonsense”.
“It is, in my view, both inconceivable and an affront to common sense to suggest (as the Diocese put it) that these visits to parishioners’ houses and [the survivor’s] home were unconnected with Coffey’s pastoral role within the Church and merely social outings separate to his role as an assistant priest,” he said.
The court found the abuse occurred and that the diocese was vicariously liable for Coffey’s actions.
Forrest found Coffey was not a formal employee of the church, given the absence of any formal employment contract or arrangement, and the lack of immediate control or supervision by the diocese of his work.
But it found the diocese was still vicariously liable for the abuse due to the close nature of relationship between the bishop, the diocese and the Catholic community in Port Fairy; the diocese’s general control over Coffey’s role and duties; and the fact that Coffey had a pastoral role in the town, which included home visits.
www.theguardian.com
A Judge has ruled that the Catholic Church can't pretend it isn't responsible for a priest when the priest abuses a child in his community.
Victorian Catholic diocese found vicariously liable for child sexual abuse in landmark ruling
Church’s argument that it was not responsible for the abuse was rejected and described as ‘affront to common sense’The church argued the priest who had committed the abuse was not a formal employee and so it could not be held liable for his actions. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP
Christopher Knaus
@knausc
Wed 5 Jan 2022 03.30 AEDT
Last modified on Wed 5 Jan 2022 03.32 AEDT
The Catholic church’s failed attempt to argue it was not responsible for a priest’s abuse of a five-year-old, because it took place during after-hours “social” visits, has been slammed as “ruthless” by the survivor and an “affront to common sense” by a judge.
In December 2021, the Victorian supreme court handed down a judgment finding the current diocese of Ballarat was vicariously liable for the abuse of the boy, who cannot be named, by Father Bryan Coffey in Port Fairy in the early 1970s.
The survivor’s lawyers, Ken Cush & Associates, say the ruling is a landmark win that will help countless other survivors.
Coffey abused the boy during pastoral care visits to his home on two occasions in 1971.
The critical issue in the case was whether Coffey, an assistant parish priest, could be considered a formal employee of the diocese at the time, thereby making it vicariously liable for his actions.
Bid by Catholic church to stop child sexual abuse case rejected by NSW supreme court
Read more
The church argued Coffey was not a formal employee and so it could not be held liable for his actions.
It also said Coffey’s home visits were “social outings” not connected to his work for the church.
The judge in the case, Justice Jack Forrest, described the suggestion as “sheer nonsense”.
“It is, in my view, both inconceivable and an affront to common sense to suggest (as the Diocese put it) that these visits to parishioners’ houses and [the survivor’s] home were unconnected with Coffey’s pastoral role within the Church and merely social outings separate to his role as an assistant priest,” he said.
The court found the abuse occurred and that the diocese was vicariously liable for Coffey’s actions.
Forrest found Coffey was not a formal employee of the church, given the absence of any formal employment contract or arrangement, and the lack of immediate control or supervision by the diocese of his work.
But it found the diocese was still vicariously liable for the abuse due to the close nature of relationship between the bishop, the diocese and the Catholic community in Port Fairy; the diocese’s general control over Coffey’s role and duties; and the fact that Coffey had a pastoral role in the town, which included home visits.
Victorian Catholic diocese found vicariously liable for child sexual abuse in landmark ruling
Church’s argument that it was not responsible for the abuse was rejected and described as ‘affront to common sense’
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'Vicar' ously liable.The Courts have finally woken up.
A Judge has ruled that the Catholic Church can't pretend it isn't responsible for a priest when the priest abuses a child in his community.
Victorian Catholic diocese found vicariously liable for child sexual abuse in landmark ruling
Church’s argument that it was not responsible for the abuse was rejected and described as ‘affront to common sense’
View attachment 135234
The church argued the priest who had committed the abuse was not a formal employee and so it could not be held liable for his actions. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP
Christopher Knaus
@knausc
Wed 5 Jan 2022 03.30 AEDT
Last modified on Wed 5 Jan 2022 03.32 AEDT
The Catholic church’s failed attempt to argue it was not responsible for a priest’s abuse of a five-year-old, because it took place during after-hours “social” visits, has been slammed as “ruthless” by the survivor and an “affront to common sense” by a judge.
In December 2021, the Victorian supreme court handed down a judgment finding the current diocese of Ballarat was vicariously liable for the abuse of the boy, who cannot be named, by Father Bryan Coffey in Port Fairy in the early 1970s.
The survivor’s lawyers, Ken Cush & Associates, say the ruling is a landmark win that will help countless other survivors.
Coffey abused the boy during pastoral care visits to his home on two occasions in 1971.
The critical issue in the case was whether Coffey, an assistant parish priest, could be considered a formal employee of the diocese at the time, thereby making it vicariously liable for his actions.
View attachment 135235
Bid by Catholic church to stop child sexual abuse case rejected by NSW supreme court
Read more
The church argued Coffey was not a formal employee and so it could not be held liable for his actions.
It also said Coffey’s home visits were “social outings” not connected to his work for the church.
The judge in the case, Justice Jack Forrest, described the suggestion as “sheer nonsense”.
“It is, in my view, both inconceivable and an affront to common sense to suggest (as the Diocese put it) that these visits to parishioners’ houses and [the survivor’s] home were unconnected with Coffey’s pastoral role within the Church and merely social outings separate to his role as an assistant priest,” he said.
The court found the abuse occurred and that the diocese was vicariously liable for Coffey’s actions.
Forrest found Coffey was not a formal employee of the church, given the absence of any formal employment contract or arrangement, and the lack of immediate control or supervision by the diocese of his work.
But it found the diocese was still vicariously liable for the abuse due to the close nature of relationship between the bishop, the diocese and the Catholic community in Port Fairy; the diocese’s general control over Coffey’s role and duties; and the fact that Coffey had a pastoral role in the town, which included home visits.
Victorian Catholic diocese found vicariously liable for child sexual abuse in landmark ruling
Church’s argument that it was not responsible for the abuse was rejected and described as ‘affront to common sense’
Very good.
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Another horrific story of child sex abuse.
This time it happened at the Footsrcay Football club in the 80's. Very ugly story. Certainly raises questions of accountability.
www.abc.net.au
This time it happened at the Footsrcay Football club in the 80's. Very ugly story. Certainly raises questions of accountability.
Adam's parents thought he was Footscray's water boy, but their shy little boy had entered 'perpetual hell'
When Adam Kneale was offered a chance to help out around the Footscray Football Club as an 11-year-old, he thought he was realising every kids' dream. Instead, he faced unimaginable trauma. WARNING: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.
www.abc.net.au
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Another horrific story of child sex abuse.
This time it happened at the Footsrcay Football club in the 80's. Very ugly story. Certainly raises questions of accountability.
Adam's parents thought he was Footscray's water boy, but their shy little boy had entered 'perpetual hell'
When Adam Kneale was offered a chance to help out around the Footscray Football Club as an 11-year-old, he thought he was realising every kids' dream. Instead, he faced unimaginable trauma. WARNING: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.
Terrible. But you have to ask why he kept 'volunteering' instead of just saying he didn't want to do it any more.
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"You have to ask... " Indeed if you read the whole story the picture becomes clearer.
The story is detailed and horrific. Perhaps worth reading it to get a sense of what had happened.
There is another story which looks at how Adam Kneales life turned out as consequence of this abuse.
Adam's parents thought he was Footscray's water boy, but their shy little boy had entered 'perpetual hell'
When Adam Kneale was offered a chance to help out around the Footscray Football Club as an 11-year-old, he thought he was realising every kids' dream. Instead, he faced unimaginable trauma. WARNING: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.
www.abc.net.au
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More stories coming to light on sex abuse by Christian Brothers
Posted 1h ago1 hours ago, updated Just now
The Christian Brother is accused of assaulting the 14-year-old boarder in 1978.(ABC News: Erin Semmler)
Share this article
One morning in mid-1978, the phone rang in the home of a public servant in western Queensland.
On the line was his 14-year-old son Nic* with possibly one of the strangest confessions a father might ever hear.
This story contains references to allegations of child sexual abuse that may be distressing to some readers.
The boy said he was calling from his boarding school to say he had been sexually fantasising about his school's middle-aged headmaster, a stocky chain-smoking Christian Brother called Darcy Fidelis Murphy.
He said he had even acted out his fantasy with the 46-year-old Brother in the boarding house at his school, St Brendan's College in Yeppoon.
Darcy Fidelis Murphy worked at Queensland Christian Brothers schools from the 1970s to the '90s.(Supplied)
Then Nic hung up, leaving his father stunned.
Minutes later the phone rang again, this time with the tell-tale clunk of a coin dropping to reveal the call was from a public telephone.
It was his son: "I don't know what you have heard but none of it is true."
The father was left shocked after Nic told him he had just been forced to play a role in a bizarre deception arranged by the Christian Brothers.
The call had been orchestrated to cover up the sexual abuse of his son and had even involved forcing the confused boy to sign a "confession" and then reading it to his father over the phone.
www.abc.net.au
Christian Brother Darcy Murphy accused of sexually assaulting boy at Yeppoon's St Brendan's College in 1970s
By Rory CallinanPosted 1h ago1 hours ago, updated Just now
The Christian Brother is accused of assaulting the 14-year-old boarder in 1978.(ABC News: Erin Semmler)
Share this article
One morning in mid-1978, the phone rang in the home of a public servant in western Queensland.
On the line was his 14-year-old son Nic* with possibly one of the strangest confessions a father might ever hear.
This story contains references to allegations of child sexual abuse that may be distressing to some readers.
The boy said he was calling from his boarding school to say he had been sexually fantasising about his school's middle-aged headmaster, a stocky chain-smoking Christian Brother called Darcy Fidelis Murphy.
He said he had even acted out his fantasy with the 46-year-old Brother in the boarding house at his school, St Brendan's College in Yeppoon.
Darcy Fidelis Murphy worked at Queensland Christian Brothers schools from the 1970s to the '90s.(Supplied)
Then Nic hung up, leaving his father stunned.
Minutes later the phone rang again, this time with the tell-tale clunk of a coin dropping to reveal the call was from a public telephone.
It was his son: "I don't know what you have heard but none of it is true."
The father was left shocked after Nic told him he had just been forced to play a role in a bizarre deception arranged by the Christian Brothers.
The call had been orchestrated to cover up the sexual abuse of his son and had even involved forcing the confused boy to sign a "confession" and then reading it to his father over the phone.
Nic says after being molested by a Christian Brother, he was handed a 'confession' and forced to call his dad
An ABC investigation uncovers the suppression of sexual abuse at St Brendan's College in Yeppoon involving Christian Brother Darcy Murphy who was later made boarding master and the deputy headmaster of the order's most prestigious Queensland boarding school.
www.abc.net.au
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Not in Australia but worth recognising.
Kurt Rupprecht speaks about the abuse he suffered after the release of the redacted report on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore by the Maryland Attorney General's Office on Wednesday, April 6, 2023, in Baltimore. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun via AP) | Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun
By Associated Press
04/06/2023 07:51 AM EDT
More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused over 600 children and often escaped accountability, according to a long-awaited state report released Wednesday that revealed the scope of abuse spanning 80 years and accused church leaders of decades of coverups.
The report paints a damning picture of the archdiocese, which is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the country and spans much of Maryland. Some parishes, schools and congregations had more than one abuser at the same time — including St. Mark Parish in Catonsville, which had 11 abusers living and working there between 1964 and 2004. One deacon admitted to molesting over 100 children. Another priest was allowed to feign hepatitis treatment and make other excuses to avoid facing abuse allegations.
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released the findings of their yearslong investigation during Holy Week — considered the most sacred time of year in Christianity ahead of Easter Sunday — and said the number of victims is likely far higher. The report was redacted to protect confidential grand jury materials, meaning the identities of some accused clergy were removed.
“The staggering pervasiveness of the abuse itself underscores the culpability of the Church hierarchy,” the report said. “The sheer number of abusers and victims, the depravity of the abusers’ conduct, and the frequency with which known abusers were given the opportunity to continue preying upon children are astonishing.”
www.politico.com
Report details ‘staggering’ church sex abuse in Maryland
The report paints a damning picture of the archdiocese, which is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the country.Kurt Rupprecht speaks about the abuse he suffered after the release of the redacted report on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore by the Maryland Attorney General's Office on Wednesday, April 6, 2023, in Baltimore. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun via AP) | Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun
By Associated Press
04/06/2023 07:51 AM EDT
More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused over 600 children and often escaped accountability, according to a long-awaited state report released Wednesday that revealed the scope of abuse spanning 80 years and accused church leaders of decades of coverups.
The report paints a damning picture of the archdiocese, which is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the country and spans much of Maryland. Some parishes, schools and congregations had more than one abuser at the same time — including St. Mark Parish in Catonsville, which had 11 abusers living and working there between 1964 and 2004. One deacon admitted to molesting over 100 children. Another priest was allowed to feign hepatitis treatment and make other excuses to avoid facing abuse allegations.
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released the findings of their yearslong investigation during Holy Week — considered the most sacred time of year in Christianity ahead of Easter Sunday — and said the number of victims is likely far higher. The report was redacted to protect confidential grand jury materials, meaning the identities of some accused clergy were removed.
“The staggering pervasiveness of the abuse itself underscores the culpability of the Church hierarchy,” the report said. “The sheer number of abusers and victims, the depravity of the abusers’ conduct, and the frequency with which known abusers were given the opportunity to continue preying upon children are astonishing.”
Report details ‘staggering’ church sex abuse in Maryland
The report paints a damning picture of the archdiocese, which is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the country.
www.politico.com
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The Royal Commission into Institutional child sex abuse highlighted the behavior of Churches, State bodies and other organizations in shielding child sex abusers from justice. Now it seems they want to permanently stop legal processes that would expose their culpability.
Yuckk..
Christopher Knaus
@knausc
Mon 5 Jun 2023 20.00 EDTLast modified on Mon 5 Jun 2023 20.13 EDT
Steven thought he had nothing left for the Catholic church to take.
The vile abuse he suffered as a 10-year-old at a Marist Brothers school in Coogee in Sydney’s east in 1973 had already stripped his future from him.
A bright boy who showed promise at school and on the sporting field, he was left dysfunctional.
The abuse sent Steven hurtling down a different life path, one riven with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse.
NSW lawyers call for reform of ‘disgraceful’ tactic churches use to block abuse claims
Read more
Now Steven says he’s lucky not to be living on the streets, kept from homelessness by a spare bed at his parents’ house in the inner west of Sydney.
Steven (a pseudonym) decided to sue Marist in 2021 for failing to protect him against a paedophile in its ranks, Brother Edward John Hosey.
Steven likens the case to a tunnel in the dark, something that gave him direction and purpose. There was a sense that justice, after all those years, was within his grasp.
So when Marist told him it would move to throw out the case, denying him any chance to go to trial, Steven was shattered.
www.theguardian.com
Yuckk..
Australian abuse survivors fight to stop Catholic church’s ‘new type of cruelty’
Survivors are lobbying to change the law to prevent institutions unfairly using legal stays to stop them taking cases to trialChristopher Knaus
@knausc
Mon 5 Jun 2023 20.00 EDTLast modified on Mon 5 Jun 2023 20.13 EDT
Steven thought he had nothing left for the Catholic church to take.
The vile abuse he suffered as a 10-year-old at a Marist Brothers school in Coogee in Sydney’s east in 1973 had already stripped his future from him.
A bright boy who showed promise at school and on the sporting field, he was left dysfunctional.
The abuse sent Steven hurtling down a different life path, one riven with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse.
NSW lawyers call for reform of ‘disgraceful’ tactic churches use to block abuse claims
Read more
Now Steven says he’s lucky not to be living on the streets, kept from homelessness by a spare bed at his parents’ house in the inner west of Sydney.
Steven (a pseudonym) decided to sue Marist in 2021 for failing to protect him against a paedophile in its ranks, Brother Edward John Hosey.
Steven likens the case to a tunnel in the dark, something that gave him direction and purpose. There was a sense that justice, after all those years, was within his grasp.
So when Marist told him it would move to throw out the case, denying him any chance to go to trial, Steven was shattered.
Australian abuse survivors fight to stop Catholic church’s ‘new type of cruelty’
Survivors are lobbying to change the law to prevent institutions unfairly using legal stays to stop them taking cases to trial
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Horrific story being broken regarding a child care worker who abused 91 children .
How did this happen ?
Posted 4h ago4 hours ago, updated 2h ago2 hours ago
The former childcare worker has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences.
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A former childcare worker has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences against 91 children, police have revealed.
A Gold Coast man, 45, has been charged with 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
An investigation involving the Australian Federal Police (AFP) as well as Queensland and New South Wales police led to the arrest of the man for offences committed in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between 2007 and 2022.
He has been in custody in Queensland since August 2022 when the AFP arrested and charged him with two counts of making child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service for child abuse material.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough said the man recorded all offences on his phone and cameras and authorities are "highly confident" all children recorded in Australia have been identified.
"The process of identification took time, skill and determination," she said.
www.abc.net.au
How did this happen ?
Former childcare worker from Gold Coast charged with more than 1,600 child sex offences
By Antonia O'FlahertyPosted 4h ago4 hours ago, updated 2h ago2 hours ago
The former childcare worker has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences.
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Link copied
A former childcare worker has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences against 91 children, police have revealed.
Key points:
- The AFP says the offences occurred at childcare centres in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas
- Police will allege all offences were against pre-pubescent girls
- The AFP is "highly confident" all 87 Australian children involved have been identified
A Gold Coast man, 45, has been charged with 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
An investigation involving the Australian Federal Police (AFP) as well as Queensland and New South Wales police led to the arrest of the man for offences committed in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between 2007 and 2022.
He has been in custody in Queensland since August 2022 when the AFP arrested and charged him with two counts of making child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service for child abuse material.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough said the man recorded all offences on his phone and cameras and authorities are "highly confident" all children recorded in Australia have been identified.
"The process of identification took time, skill and determination," she said.
Former childcare worker charged with 1,623 child abuse offences against 91 children
The Gold Coast man, 45, has been charged with 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
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How did it happen indeed.Horrific story being broken regarding a child care worker who abused 91 children .
How did this happen ?
Former childcare worker from Gold Coast charged with more than 1,600 child sex offences
By Antonia O'Flaherty
Posted 4h ago4 hours ago, updated 2h ago2 hours ago
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The former childcare worker has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences.
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A former childcare worker has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences against 91 children, police have revealed.
Key points:
- The AFP says the offences occurred at childcare centres in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas
- Police will allege all offences were against pre-pubescent girls
- The AFP is "highly confident" all 87 Australian children involved have been identified
A Gold Coast man, 45, has been charged with 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
An investigation involving the Australian Federal Police (AFP) as well as Queensland and New South Wales police led to the arrest of the man for offences committed in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between 2007 and 2022.
He has been in custody in Queensland since August 2022 when the AFP arrested and charged him with two counts of making child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service for child abuse material.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough said the man recorded all offences on his phone and cameras and authorities are "highly confident" all children recorded in Australia have been identified.
"The process of identification took time, skill and determination," she said.
Former childcare worker charged with 1,623 child abuse offences against 91 children
The Gold Coast man, 45, has been charged with 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
The idea that one man could do all this on his own seems barely credible.
Maybe others turned a blind eye or were in on the act.
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Another great/awful ABC investigative story.
www.abc.net.au
'It turned a blind eye': How the Victorian education department enabled abusive teachers and put children at risk
For decades, Victoria's education department shuffled paedophile teachers to new schools where they abused more schoolchildren. As the historical scale of the scourge in the Victorian public system becomes clearer, there are calls for the state to confront the issue with a broader inquiry.
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Another horrific story of child sex abuse.
This time it happened at the Footsrcay Football club in the 80's. Very ugly story. Certainly raises questions of accountability.
Adam's parents thought he was Footscray's water boy, but their shy little boy had entered 'perpetual hell'
When Adam Kneale was offered a chance to help out around the Footscray Football Club as an 11-year-old, he thought he was realising every kids' dream. Instead, he faced unimaginable trauma. WARNING: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.
The chickens have well and truly come home to roost.
Western Bulldogs face a $6m plus payout on this case. The outcome opens up a horrendous set of potential outcomes.
1) There are already a number of similar cases pending with other AFL cubs. If this precedent stands than other clubs already face multi million dollar claims
2) The case will almost certainly bring out other people who have been abused and until now been either sent away or just stayed quite. Again the financial outcome will be horrendous for clubs and the AFL.
3) With this precedent the thousands of other children who had been abused in schools and other institutions are very likely to renew actions for recompense along the lines already delineated in this case.
Legal system 'earthquake' as AFL club to pay out $6m
Emily Woods
Thu, 9 November 2023 at 5:20 pm AEDT·4-min read
A multi-million dollar payout to a child sexual abuse survivor awarded against AFL club the Western Bulldogs has been hailed as a landmark day.
Adam Kneale, 51, took legal action against Footscray Football Club, now the Western Bulldogs, after he suffered abuse between 1984 and 1990 at the hands of fundraising volunteer Graeme Hobbs.
Following a four-week trial in Melbourne's Supreme Court, a jury of six on Thursday found the club was negligent.
The Bulldogs must pay almost $6 million to Adam Kneale who sued over his sexual abuse as a boy.
Jurors awarded $5,943,151 in damages, the highest amount given by a jury to an abuse survivor in Australia and the first against an AFL club.
The Bulldogs will also have to pay legal costs.
Mr Kneale's lawyer Michael Magazanik said the verdict would be "an earthquake for the legal system", particularly the jury's choice to award $3,250,000 for pain and suffering.
"This is a landmark day for all abuse survivors," he said.
"In bringing his claim, and getting the result that he got, Adam has changed the legal landscape."
Legal system 'earthquake' as AFL club to pay out $6m
A jury has awarded a child abuse survivor almost $6 million, finding the AFL's Western Bulldogs were negligent in giving a pedophile special access to the boy.
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The chickens have well and truly come home to roost.
Western Bulldogs face a $6m plus payout on this case. The outcome opens up a horrendous set of potential outcomes.
1) There are already a number of similar cases pending with other AFL cubs. If this precedent stands than other clubs already face multi million dollar claims
2) The case will almost certainly bring out other people who have been abused and until now been either sent away or just stayed quite. Again the financial outcome will be horrendous for clubs and the AFL.
3) With this precedent the thousands of other children who had been abused in schools and other institutions are very likely to renew actions for recompense along the lines already delineated in this case.
Legal system 'earthquake' as AFL club to pay out $6m
Emily Woods
Thu, 9 November 2023 at 5:20 pm AEDT·4-min read
A multi-million dollar payout to a child sexual abuse survivor awarded against AFL club the Western Bulldogs has been hailed as a landmark day.
Adam Kneale, 51, took legal action against Footscray Football Club, now the Western Bulldogs, after he suffered abuse between 1984 and 1990 at the hands of fundraising volunteer Graeme Hobbs.
Following a four-week trial in Melbourne's Supreme Court, a jury of six on Thursday found the club was negligent.
View attachment 165541
The Bulldogs must pay almost $6 million to Adam Kneale who sued over his sexual abuse as a boy.
Jurors awarded $5,943,151 in damages, the highest amount given by a jury to an abuse survivor in Australia and the first against an AFL club.
The Bulldogs will also have to pay legal costs.
Mr Kneale's lawyer Michael Magazanik said the verdict would be "an earthquake for the legal system", particularly the jury's choice to award $3,250,000 for pain and suffering.
"This is a landmark day for all abuse survivors," he said.
"In bringing his claim, and getting the result that he got, Adam has changed the legal landscape."
Legal system 'earthquake' as AFL club to pay out $6m
A jury has awarded a child abuse survivor almost $6 million, finding the AFL's Western Bulldogs were negligent in giving a pedophile special access to the boy.au.news.yahoo.com
Probably a deserved payout but if there are many more then maybe the clubs will become financially unviable and there won't be an AFL comp one day.
I read one report which said that the Club were not aware of any problems that the victim went straight to the Police.The chickens have well and truly come home to roost.
Western Bulldogs face a $6m plus payout on this case. The outcome opens up a horrendous set of potential outcomes.
1) There are already a number of similar cases pending with other AFL cubs. If this precedent stands than other clubs already face multi million dollar claims
2) The case will almost certainly bring out other people who have been abused and until now been either sent away or just stayed quite. Again the financial outcome will be horrendous for clubs and the AFL.
3) With this precedent the thousands of other children who had been abused in schools and other institutions are very likely to renew actions for recompense along the lines already delineated in this case.
Legal system 'earthquake' as AFL club to pay out $6m
Emily Woods
Thu, 9 November 2023 at 5:20 pm AEDT·4-min read
A multi-million dollar payout to a child sexual abuse survivor awarded against AFL club the Western Bulldogs has been hailed as a landmark day.
Adam Kneale, 51, took legal action against Footscray Football Club, now the Western Bulldogs, after he suffered abuse between 1984 and 1990 at the hands of fundraising volunteer Graeme Hobbs.
Following a four-week trial in Melbourne's Supreme Court, a jury of six on Thursday found the club was negligent.
View attachment 165541
The Bulldogs must pay almost $6 million to Adam Kneale who sued over his sexual abuse as a boy.
Jurors awarded $5,943,151 in damages, the highest amount given by a jury to an abuse survivor in Australia and the first against an AFL club.
The Bulldogs will also have to pay legal costs.
Mr Kneale's lawyer Michael Magazanik said the verdict would be "an earthquake for the legal system", particularly the jury's choice to award $3,250,000 for pain and suffering.
"This is a landmark day for all abuse survivors," he said.
"In bringing his claim, and getting the result that he got, Adam has changed the legal landscape."
Legal system 'earthquake' as AFL club to pay out $6m
A jury has awarded a child abuse survivor almost $6 million, finding the AFL's Western Bulldogs were negligent in giving a pedophile special access to the boy.
I do know someone who was a victim of the Catholic School horror in the Hunter Valley so I am not heartless but if they were not told why would they act.
I can understand negligence if a complaint was made and no action was taken but if they were not notified of the problem it creates a Very Big precedent for people to sue innocent business or person.
Very dangerous precedent IMO
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The ABC is reporting ob the investigation into the widespread child sex abuse in Victorian public schools.
By Russell Jackson
ABC Investigations
Published 27 Feb 2024, 6:00am
One survivor has called it “mind-boggling” and “beyond belief”.
A lawyer for victims says it was “calculated” and “covered up, just like in the Catholic Church”.
And on Monday, a small but important step was taken in addressing the Victorian Department of Education’s historical child sexual abuse crisis.
After six months examining decades of crimes against students in state-run schools, the government-initiated inquiry leading the investigation delivered its findings to the Victorian governor.
The government has not said when it will make the report and its response public.
www.abc.net.au
‘The truth needs to be told’
By Russell Jackson
ABC Investigations
Published 27 Feb 2024, 6:00am
One survivor has called it “mind-boggling” and “beyond belief”.
A lawyer for victims says it was “calculated” and “covered up, just like in the Catholic Church”.
And on Monday, a small but important step was taken in addressing the Victorian Department of Education’s historical child sexual abuse crisis.
After six months examining decades of crimes against students in state-run schools, the government-initiated inquiry leading the investigation delivered its findings to the Victorian governor.
The government has not said when it will make the report and its response public.
In the early 70s, four paedophiles taught together at this school. Survivors say it was a sign of an insidious crisis
After six months examining decades of crimes against students in state-run schools, the government-initiated inquiry leading the investigation delivers its findings to the Victorian governor.
www.abc.net.au