As written in the Sydney Morning Herald today, Edmond Rice College, Wollongong appears to be the latest in a long line of schools where young students have been the victims of a system where known child molesters are allowed to be employed from school to school despite being known sexual predators.
Unfortunately this is a pattern we see in our Personal Injury Practice, that repeats itself, where children, year after year, are subjected to the abuse of those known to others, and were never called to task.
During the course of our practice we see it over and over again. Very often the victims or their family members attempted to report concerns regarding their children, or the children themselves tried to speak out, and were more often than not, punished, silenced or told that the issue will be dealt with, and it never was. The abusers use intimidation, ignorance and embarrassment to get away with their behaviour.
We can only take hope from the growing voice of those that are now finding the courage to speak up. We are also encouraged by a society that is now not only believing these victims at last, but supporting them, and condemning the individuals and institutions that perpetrated such abuse.
This is a crime that has untold impact on the abused that reaches far into their adult life. Most are bewildered by their own behaviour until the link is made and the realisation that the abuses they suffered as children have had such far reaching consequences.
We are encouraged by the growing voice that is being heard, and urge others to join the chorus. If you have been a victim, or perhaps you have witnessed behaviours in institutions that now are coming to the fore, we would like to hear from you. Your communications are always made in confidence, and you may hold a small piece of information that helps us to assist others.
ROSS KOFFEL
