The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has published the ‘Report of Case Study No. 5: The response of The Salvation Army to child sexual abuse at its boys homes in New South Wales and Queensland’.
Royal Commission
Religions for Peace Australia is providing coverage of state and national inquiries into child sexual abuse with multi-faith and interfaith perspectives as a service to the interfaith community.
This select coverage is offered as service to the religious and faith communities of Australia; there is no intention to single out nor provide critique of any single institution … Religions for Peace gives service to multifaith, multicultural and Interfaith networks.
Royal Commission: The Forgotten Australians
The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM, Chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, launched the Long-term Outcome of Forgotten Australians Study (LOFA) research project at the University of New South Wales
Jewish Leadership Dissociates Community from statements of Rabbi Yossi Feldman
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry advises that Rabbi Yossi Feldman’s reported statements to the Royal Commission have shocked and appalled his fellow rabbis, the Australian Jewish community and the wider community.
Jewish Leadership Again Condemns Child Abuse Perpetrators and Their Protectors
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry repeats its earlier public statements calling for all reports of child abuse to be notified to the police and other authorities without delay, and condemning any attempts at a cover-up.
Jewish 'code of silence' examined by Royal Commission
Child abuse victims and their families have been abused and ostracised by people within the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community for breaking the Chabad code of silence, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard
Public Hearing into Satyananda Yoga Ashram
A Mangrove Mountain ashram whose former religious guru allegedly had sex with under age girls is in the sights of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse. The commission has announced that it will hold a public inquiry into the response of the Satyananda Yoga Ashram to allegations of child sexual abuse by the ashram’s former spiritual leader in the 1970s and 1980s.
Royal Commission Address to International Law Conference
At a recent address to an International Criminal Law Conference, Royal Commissioner Justice McClelland raised the issue of repetitive abuse by individuals in insitutional settings and courts ordering separate trials; these frequently result in acquittals of the accused. The unfairness of this has surfaced in the private hearings conducted by the Royal Commission in different cities. Commissioner McClelland went on to say, “Survivors have told us how distressing and unfair they feel it is when they are required, in their evidence, to omit what to them are important parts of their accounts of what occurred, and to limit themselves – in their view, artificially – to a partial account of the events.“
This address by Commissioner McClelland exposes the full depth and scope of the reviews being conducted by the Royal Commission and the differences in how each state treats evidence. It is worthy (if at times legalistic) reading and worthy of consideration. Federal protection of children ought not stop at a national “working with children” check; the Royal Commission (rightly so) is exposing important issues, including holding an institution criminally responsible for abuse. The address is reproduced in full, below.
Royal Commission to hold public hearing into Australian Christian Churches
The Royal Commission is holding a public hearing in Sydney from 7 October 2014 at 10.30am. The public hearing will inquire into the responses by Australian Christian Churches (a Pentecostal movement in Australia) and two affiliated churches to allegations of child sexual abuse.
Vatican places former nuncio under house arrest
The Vatican has placed a laicized papal ambassador under house arrest as he awaits a criminal trial for sexually abusing young boys.
Pope sacks bishop for promoting alleged pedophile priest
Pope Francis on Thursday sacked a Paraguayan bishop accused of protecting and promoting a priest described by his former church superiors in the United States as “a serious threat to young people”.
Royal Commission publishes two research reports
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has published two research reports by the Australian Institute of Criminology: History of child sexual abuse offences in Australia and Brief review of contemporary sexual offence and child sexual abuse legislation in Australia.
Royal Commission: Address to Care Leavers Australia Network
The head of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Justice Peter McClellan, disclosed in a speech on Saturday, 5 July 2014, to a victims’ group that he had personally written to the Vatican, seeking copies of all documents relating to complaints about abuse involving priests in Australia.
