What Is An Institution In Cases of Institutional Abuse?
An institution is an organisation that was founded for a religious, educational, professional, or social purpose.
Religious organisation
This can be any of the established religious institutions (the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church, the Uniting Church and so on) or a religious order (the Marist Brothers, The Salvation Army, the Patrician Bros, the Jesuits and so on).
Educational organisations
This can be the public education system (whether it is primary or high school), which are managed by State governments.
The private/independent education system include the Catholic/Christian schools, schools run by the Jewish faith, Islamic schools and other the non-denominational schools.
Also included as an educational organisation are the military academies:
- Royal Military College Duntroon, ACT
- HMAS Cerberus, Victoria (the Naval Academy).
- The Australian Defence Force Academy, ACT
Professional institutions
A professional institution is an organisation or entity that serves a professional purpose. This encompasses the respective armed forces training facilities for training cadets.
Social purpose institutions
An institution created for a social purpose are organisations created to fulfil a need in society, such as adoption agencies, aged care facilities, homeless shelters or charitable organisations.
These institutions include religious charities, such as the St Vincents de Paul Society, Mission Australia, The Salvation Army and Anglicare.
Contact Us
If you would like to talk to one of our abuse specialists, for free and in confidence, about your legal options, please feel free to complete the form below or call us on 02 9283 5599.
22 replies to What Is An Institution In Cases of Institutional Abuse?
This is about my daughter she’s 22 now told me at 20
When she was 11 her dad asked to have oral sex with her and offered her money when she said no he paid her to not tell me
Apparently he groomed her beforehand ever since she was a bsby
Hi Connie,
We would recommend that your first step would be to report this to the police. If you have already done this, please either call our office on 02 9283 5599 or fill out one of our contact forms and one of our child abuse specialists will call you back to help you assess your daughter’s legal options.
I used to attend the Adelaide aquatic centre very frequently and after my father was sentenced to a lengthy prison term my step dad became very controlling I must have been 10-11yrs old when I was sexualy abused. The guilt I carried led to mental health issues growing up because I didn’t feel I could speak about it without getting in trouble and the shame my dad would have gone through knowing this wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t in prison
Hi David,
It’s not uncommon for survivors of child abuse to take decades to start to understand the trauma they experienced, and more years after that to begin taking steps to address the impact it has had on their lives. The fact that you’re commenting on a blog post is a good sign.
If you would like to talk to one of our abuse specialists, for free and in confidence, about your legal options, please feel free to contact us here on the Koffels wbsite with the best way and the best time to contact you. You can let us know if you’d be more comfortable talking to a male or female associate, or you can call us on 02 9283 5599.
I was retaken into care in 1984 and was sexualising abused by mercy family care bus driver and also winlatons doctor and the pool instructor but I just went to redress and got money
I was sexually abused as a child so was my sister but are to scared to speak up even now we can’t, this happened on and off for 12 years, my first memory was when I was 2 , they are both dead now, but the other one he did it to me when I was 12/13 he was convicted for it but I still can’t shake the feeling like I want to have a 4 hour shower but still that doesn’t help,
I was viciously assaulted by my ex boyfriend who was charged with GBH, he was found guilty but only got 12 months weekend detention. I suffered a brain injury,PTSD, and memory loss, after going to counselling I remembered that he and another man sexually assaulted me also, I believe they had spiked my drink. When I contacted DPP they weren’t interested in laying further charges. I have never recovered and suffer mentally and also have severe neck problems from assault.
I can’t believe I just stumbled across this blog. I Was abused by my stepfather for 11 years we shared the same birthday date and I don’t remember a lot of them and other things to what I do remember I wish I didn’t . I have been trying to deal with my life as best I can but I have a problem, I have a habit of trying to end my life.
I won’t say my name, because even today I don’t want to except what Really did happen to me; As I have done my best to block it out, even though my beautiful partner tells me that I still frequently jump and shout out in my sleep and I have to get up and out of bed and walk around our house until I can sit back down and relax enough to lay back down and try to go back to sleep. I do know what occurred and happened to me between the ages of 14 to 17 and how it totally changed my life forever. I know and I believe that most of you know exactly what I mean, and how hard it is to just start to write it down right now, and I just don’t think that I can do that at this moment of time. Even just doing this is so very very hard for me right now; So I am so sorry to be a bother to any of you. Michael 😎
From the age of probably 8 until I was around 11 my mum always got me to go to our local church and the father would give us a cpl bags of tin food and pasta stuf like that he would take me to a room next to the church and I would go through the cupboards and pick things out then one day he left me by myself for a cpl minets and I noticed there was $2 note on the floor and because we had a big family and I was always hungry I picked it up and put it in my pocket just then he walked in and accused me of stealing and threatened to call the police I was so young I was so scared so I begged him not to and he said something like if you do what your told then he would forgive me and not dob on me I did what I was told and even know he hurt me I was still thankful for him not dobbing and the longer it went on he said stuff like if I say anything that no one would believe me and ppl would think I was crazy and I would be taken from my mum and I would go to a boys home for lying about a priest as I said I was so young I believed everything he said I’m not sure if it has anything to do with that but by the time I was 14 I was injecting speed and now I’m 54 I’ve decided to get some control back in my life and get off the drugs anyway I had to get that off my chest I’ve never told anyone about it.
On behalf of my elder daughter now 21 yrs. I’m asking does it have to have occurred within a institute or am I in the right place for a consultation?
I was sexually abused as a child, I spoke up to my mother after 5 years. She sent me away to one of my father’s family that I’d never met before to stay for two weeks. Once I returned I was put on high amounts of anti depressants, after he tried to touch me again I over dosed on them. I was sent to hospital, I spent my 16th birthday with drips on my arms. I then only to find out I had meth in my system, I was seen as a drug addict to police. My mother told me they never spoke to me or questioned it because I was seen as a meth user, I had never touched anything unless it was my parents giving it to me saying it was medication or forcing me to drink something. After multiple run aways and suicide attempts, DHS got involved. Because I was 16, I was the one to report it to Police not my mother even though it was her duty of care to tell police a minor/daughter was being sexually assaulted. She had my sexual assault counsellor fired for trying to help me when she sent me 6 hours away on a train, she told her she was applying for a family intervention order through her lawyer but that never got reported and my story was never told. I was told to keep quite because I needed to think about my brother and his being left without a father. Child protection did nothing, the police walked me out and walked me straight to my father to pick me up. How does a 15 year old girl showing trauma signs have meth in her system that she did not know about get left unnoticed or question by police? I’d been arrested previously for trying to run away. My mother made out to everyone I was ripping the family apart, my father confessed to my mother what he’d done to me and my mother covered it up for him. A rape kit was never done because it never happened, I reported it 7 years later but my father walked. Not enough evidence, my father is dead now and my mother is no longer in my life as she said I would know if I was raped and I should of reported it at 15 years old. Where can I get help?
I was 12 when I was at my dad place with my brother he was 8 and I was 12. My dad’s father moved in and I asked him to get a mobile that was hanging in the room I use to sleep in. He started touching me and doing things and made me do things I blocked out my mind and I have had advise partners and one who made me do things to remind me of that time and it was very hard . I got a psychologist to help me relied what was happening to me and U never knew what anitexy was or why I did what I was doing.
I have since then have my brain not remember hard times and next day to forget day before and have new happy day.
Just read other survivors stories WoW and I t h ought I was alone….Not so deborah
I was in foster care homes from aged 5 to 10,11 I was placed with multiple family’s out of all the homes i placed in i only had 2 normal beautiful families one of them actually being one of the workers for facs. Back then it was called family an community services in those homes i experienced not only sexual abuse but also mental physical torture i ended up having a heroin habit i was homeless living on the streets and I’ve done all up 17 yrs in jail to support my habit i never did violent crimes they were dishonesty crimes to keep myself well as heroin stopped being a drug and basically became a medication to make me well an function I would appreciate some advice, thankyou for your time.
David.
When I was 15 my Dad had gone away for the weekend(2003, right before my 16th birthday).. I invited a family friend over with one of his mates & I had my best friend stay over also.. We stole a bottle of wild turkey and began drinking.. The family friend of mine made the drinks.. I was not there when they were made.. He had made one for me and one for my best friend.. She decided not to drink, so me being a big tough 15 year old I slammed down both.. after about a short period I remember stumbling to the back door to lock it.. then my next memory is falling over the lounge.. next memory is I was walking into my bedroom door frame led by him.. Next thing I remember is the pain of being raped.. I blacked in and out then absolutely no memory.. I woke up on my bed alone.. I was soooo delirious.. I woke my best friend.. I then caught that family friend and his mate slipping out the back door.. I then stumbled, got dressed and my best friend and I slipped out my bathroom window to avoid being caught by my dad and step mum.. Now I was awake that morning but can’t recall what my room looked like or what the house looked like.. a few hours later I got an abusive call from my dad that I had trashed the house.. Apparently there was vomit and faeces all over my bed and stuff through the house.. I asked my best friend what had happened.. She said while we were having s*x the mate of my family friend had taken her out onto the trampoline.. I guess this was to distract her from what was happening to me.. She said after this, I started running up and down my house completely naked(this is not something I would do, even drunk 15 year old me, I was a seriously self conscious teen).. my best friend had taken to shower twice after my naked escapades because of the mess on my bed.. I have no recollection of this.. I had never ever felt hung over like this which lasted more than 24 hours.. especially after just 2 drinks.. I had massive bruises on the insides of my thighs.. I started putting the pieces together very slowly and over the years I did some research, what happened to me is the result of having a date rape drug, but I believe with the vomiting, loss of my bowels etc was due to drinking both drinks, which were more than likely both spiked, so I’d taken a double spiking, so I guess I’m lucky I’m alive today.. I didn’t tell anyone because of my dads reaction and all that happened to his house, I had made myself believe it was all my fault.. My Dad ended up sending me to the other side of the world in Northern Ireland to live with my mums family.. I got homesick after 6 weeks and came home to Australia.. I just pushed all of it deep down and tried to move on.. I met my massively wonderful supportive husband when I was 19, (right before my 20th birthday, 2007).. by my 21st birthday (2008) I was 1 day overdue with our first son.. he was born 2 days after my 21st birthday.. But about a month before he was born(February 2008), all my hormones etc, I ended up opening up to my mum and telling her everything.. it felt good saying it out loud but it also never went anywhere because it was years later.. I confronted him via Facebook about a year ago in 2023, he obviously denied it and blocked me.. I’m now 37, 2 beautiful boys and my husband and I have been married for 5 years, together a total of nearly 18 years.. though I am content with life, I want him to at least admit what happened.. take some responsibility.. he has daughters.. I would like to think that now having daughters, he’d feel some remorse.. maybe, maybe not..
Sh*** ***nd is his name.. I don’t know if he did it to anyone else but maybe he did..
I was made a ward of the state when I was 13 and was placed in Ashley’s Boys Home. I was sexually assaulted whilst in there care. Apparently I have missed the class action law suit Is there anything I can do to get closure. I am now 50 with poor health.
My daughter was taken from me when she was only 5 n half. Stolen rely,, she was made a ward of the state,,, and put with the father’s family,, living with her grandmother at this stage,, 9yrsold she was sexually assaulted (raped) twice while her useless grandmother was there,, it kills me every day, as I didn’t find out till she was 14 when she charged the person.. it hurts so bad,, I can’t imagine how she feels,, the details of what happened was sickening.. it was a family member that did it,, the father’s side have a genetic deviate, sexual behaviour,, all of them. And I remember when she was a baby and I had the brother in-law staying with us,, I don’t know who did it her dad or uncle,, but they had done something to her as her privates were swollen and red,, I fronted them both it stopped for awhile as I kicked brother in-law out,,,, there is to much to put here. My poor baby went through hell and back for years, it split me and my kids apart, she was so traumatized that when she was 14 she overdosed, 15 stopped eating and was heading to anorexia, her mental health deteriorated,, and now for a reason I have know idea about she has stopped talking and spending time with me,, she is 16now
My father raped me and my sisters as we visit him on weekends and he only got 5 years first when I reported it to police at early age the pushed me away and said I was lying 13 years later after me having to put behind me police knocking on my door asking me to go to court because he did same thing to my 3 step sisters I didn’t even know of and now he ready to be released
Please can you help me l have bipolar now
Hi, without knowing where in Australia you might be based, we can recommend the following support services:
Black Dog Institute: Offers comprehensive resources, information, and support groups for bipolar disorder.
They also provide online self-help tools and assessments. https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/resources-support/bipolar-disorder/ Â
SANE Australia: A national mental health organization providing information, resources, and support for people with mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder. https://www.sane.org/ Â
ReachOut Australia: A digital mental health service offering online resources, forums, and support for young people, including those with bipolar disorder. https://au.reachout.com/ Â
We hope this is helpful.
I was in Ashleys boys home in Tasmania and i was sexually assaulted