Institutional Child Abuse

In the coming months, victims & survivors who settled historical abuse claims in NSW pre-2016 will be able to have their agreements reviewed by Courts to assess whether they were unfairly small.

Former Australian Governor-General Peter Hollingworth Faces Continued Criticism over Handling of Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Malka Leifa is alleged to have sexually abused students at Adass Israel School, Elsternwick in VIC. She faces 29 allegations ranging from inappropriate touching to sexual assault.

Koffels Solicitors and Barristers are looking to speak to anyone with information about abuses by Father Patrick Casey and Brother Dominic aka Darcy O’Sullivan.

Accusations against Pell date back to the 1970s and 1980s when he served as a priest in Ballarat, where the Royal Commission heard he was amongst as many as 14 priests who had abused children.

The law in Australia regarding the protection of children from sexual abuse varies and differs from state to state and territory. Each jurisdiction has its characteristics. There are contrasts in who must report when child sexual abuse is suspected, the basis for the duty to report (concern, suspicion, or reasonable belief), what types of neglect and abuse must be reported, and to whom the report should be made.

As of June 2021, nearly 600 child sexual abuse lawsuits have been filed against the Brooklyn Diocese.  These lawsuits were mainly for the diocese’s protection of priests abusing their parishioners, especially children.

Australia’s Royal Commission on the Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse found multiple and persistent failures of religious institutions to keep children safe, and a culture of secrecy and cover-ups that had devastating consequences for the entire life of the children who had suffered sexual abuse.

The earlier sexual abuse survivors receive help and support, the more successful they will be in dealing with the aftermath and getting on with their lives.