Amanda Duncan launches Two Sisters Campaign in memory of her sister

In 2001, Zoe Duncan, then 11, was allegedly raped by a doctor in the Launceston General Hospital emergency department.

Despite the assault being disclosed to the hospital by Zoe and her parents, Ms Duncan said the family was silenced and disempowered by management, while the alleged rapist was permitted to continue working.

Ms Duncan said Zoe's disclosure of sexual assault was rejected by senior staff, who allegedly questioned the validity of her account because she hadn't cried.

Zoe died in 2017- aged 28 - from a chronic illness, after refusing to return to the LGH, something that her family thinks could have been prevented.

"She said she didn't want to go back to the LGH because she was sick of the maltreatment there," Ms Duncan said.

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"She died of a cause that is commonly treated in hospitals. So things could have been different for her life, absolutely."

It comes in the midst of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.

The state government last year announced a commission of inquiry after child sex abuse charges against Launceston General Hospital nurse James Geoffrey Griffin came to light.

In honour of Zoe, Ms Duncan is launching the Two Sisters Campaign to advocate for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

She said the campaign hopes to prevent other families from going through a similar experience.

"What we're aiming to achieve is initially to advocate for changes within institutional systems," Ms Duncan said.

"So we would like to see trauma-informed training for all government agencies and improved incident reporting process, especially within health."

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Ms Duncan said the launch of the campaign came at a pivotal time for survivors of sexual abuse, with Grace Tame and The Nurse podcast shedding light on institutional child abuse in Tasmania.

However, the timing of these changes remained bittersweet for the Duncan family, who wished there had been more awareness for Zoe in 2001.

"It's hard for my parents because they wrote so many letters, they advocated for years and years to get justice for Zoe," Ms Duncan said.

"And they just got blocked at every avenue they went down. So while it's lovely to see change finally coming, I can tell it's quite hard for them to see this change coming afterwards."

Ms Duncan said while she was proud to continue her sister's legacy of advocacy, Zoe's death had left a hole in her family.

"When you lose someone, the family dynamic shifts and there's always a key person missing," she said.

"You never really get used to that."

Ms Duncan described Zoe as an "enchanting" person who made others feel comfortable in her presence, and also tenacious and "fiercely determined".

"And she just had the most majestic laugh," Ms Duncan said.

"That's the big thing we miss as a family, hearing her laugh."

The Two Sisters Campaign Launch is being held on November 12 at 7pm at the Tailrace Centre.

Tickets are still available.

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