Three years after the start of the Commission of Inquiry (COI), with tens of millions spent and the heroism of victims telling their stories, not one public servant has been held accountable for presiding over institutions that saw children subject to harrowing and often repeated sexual abuse, as revealed in the September COI Final Report.
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This is outrageous!
Victims reported how hospitals, schools, youth detention centres and foster homes have been the scene of child sex crimes that saw perpetrators unpunished, and allegations repeatedly dismissed out of hand.
This reveals the inconvenient truth that Tasmania has been permissive of child sexual abuse (CSA) for decades, and now we risk wasting our once-in-a-generation opportunity to keep kids safe.
If we blow it, it will be down to us all.
Apart from the Ribbons of Reflection event that marked the release of the COI Report, the response of Launceston to the COI has been at best muted, with little concern shown, at least publicly, to revelations like James Griffin's alleged predation on Ward 4K, or Paul Reynolds' alleged abuse of minors over his 38-year career with Tasmania Police.
Perhaps we are just too respectable to confront the reality that we have often tolerated child sex offenders in our institutions. It has been left to victim-survivors to fight the government to hold public servants accountable.
Without consequences these very same public servants will revert to the cover-ups. Why would they change?
Yes, institutions are under scrutiny because of the COI, but we already risk back-sliding that will see them return to business-as-usual, and this means abuse-as-usual. For example, Tasmania Police is yet to reveal how they handled the 22 allegations levelled at officers since 2000, as reported in the COI Final Report.
We need to be sure that no child sex offenders remain as police officers, to have confidence that victims will be believed, and abusers will be jailed.
So, what can we do personally? When children disclose abuse, please believe them, and seek advice from Sexual Assault Crisis Services. Know what 'grooming' looks like and report behaviours of concern. Check the track-record of schools, sporting clubs, drama groups before allowing your child to participate.
Be vigilant when leaving your children in the hands of others, including teachers and health professionals. Make sure that when agreeing to that sleep-over, that the responsible adults share your views on child safety. Don't be afraid to speak up. Silence only benefits perpetrators and those who enable them.
At the next election, make sure that your preferred candidate has a Working with Vulnerable People card, and that they are 100 per cent committed to implementing all the COI recommendations. Let's not waste our big chance as we owe it to our kids.
Child sexual abuse happens wherever it is tolerated, but together we can stop it.
Lawrie Donaldson is a Launceston-based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Advocate
