The suing of George Pell by the father of a choir boy, and the trauma parents of disability children live with after attacks are not believed or resolved with perpetrators walking away free in the Australian Justice system…
The recent civil case filed in court against George Pell the Catholic Priest noted by Nine News (Fiona Seyfort 14th July 2022) is being filed by the father whose son accused the priest of abuse when he was a boy in the choir, but then died of an overdose as an adult in 2014. The father is suing the priest for nervous shock which is a legal term for a recognised psychiatric disorder, injury or illness that a person acquires as a result of actions or omissions (either negligent or intentional) by another person or party.
The father of the choir boy said he acquired this nervous shock as a result of his son dying and then finding out about the allegations against the priest a year later (BBC News 15 July 2022). I hope this father has justice for his son who was never listened to as George Pell was let off his charges of abuse for two choir boys after a year in prison. I hope this father also has justice for the trauma he has suffered.
“In 2018 Cardinal Pell was convicted of abusing two choirboys in the 1990s.
But Australia's top court later quashed the convictions. Cardinal Pell has always maintained his innocence.
The Australian cleric had spent more than a year in prison when he was released in 2020 following a successful appeal.”
Again those innocents who cannot defend themselves can be preyed on and exploited and maybe parents of those children with disabilities who have seen their children suffer while no one listens or punishes the perpetrators, should be suing the providers and even making a class action against the NDIS for failing to give duty of care to our children when they were obligated to by law and also for the trauma we has parents suffer in seeing our children harmed with no justice and no accountability by the providers.
Many parents are traumatized seeing their children being treated as so and indeed parents have also suffered grief and even “nervous shock” their lives affected by their child being harmed, even die, or abused through intention actions of providers or negligence, made worse by NDIS quality commission’s inaction. The providers often covering up abuse and negligence simply because they can and NDIS does not do independent investigation, since it investigates its own organization, nor do the police take it up.
There are criminal acts being allowed in disabilities with no penalties or police investigation. Therefore, shouldn’t we the parents sue the providers for letting our children come home with bruises and trauma from disabilities service and impact it has had on our psychological well being. WE are traumatised, we are knocked down, we are ignored when we cry out for justice for our children. No wonder parents of disability children can also have ‘nervous shock’ yet without evidence for the abuse we cannot push criminal charges perhaps then we should be doing civil cases too. I wish the father well in his civil case against an unrepentant priest.
A young woman, who was attacked in 2018 (noted in the Guardian 1st April 2022 by Eden Gillespie) at an Anglicare disabilities facility, was told by one of the workers that it did not happen to her. The girl was talking at the latest Royal Commission into Disabilities violence and abuse cases. It was noted by the Royal Commission that Anglicare took three years to apologize to the young woman for what happened to her.
(The Guardian April 2022) Niky (pseudonym) told the hearing that after the assault occurred to her, that she complained and she was met with disbelief by some of the workers at the facility.
“They were begging to know what happened … it made me feel unsafe,” Niky told the commission
“One [worker] tried to tell me it didn’t happen at all.”
The family of the young woman were told in 2018 by the staff at the Anglicare facility to go to the police but were never given help or support by the actual organization or those in charge of the organization.
The father of the young woman went to the police and the perpetrator was charged and pled guilty to his charge of carnal knowledge of a person with impairment of mind. The organization itself did nothing to help the family rather keeping it distant and pleading ignorance of the protocols.
“An Anglicare staff member broke into tears after telling the commission that the centre failed to provide counselling for Niky and her family, or report the alleged assault to the authorities.
They told the hearing that the facility’s response directly contravened the organisation’s procedures, which she said she wasn’t aware of at the time, despite them being written in 2015 and reviewed in 2017.”(The Guardian 2022)
Why was the Anglicare staff member too dumb to know the organizations procedures – did Anglicare not train her or did she simply forget? How could she not be aware? Would she like it if her daughter was attacked or if she herself was attacked and no one did anything to help her? Do unto others – why don’t they treated others as they want to be treated? or do workers and providers think that those with disabilities are not worthy of human rights and respect?
It was noted at the hearing that there was only one security camera at the facility and it did not capture the assault. No kidding why weren’t there more camera’s? Are providers afraid of capturing the evidence on camera so that all incidents will be found out not just the ones where the disability person can talk about it or tell their parents. There are so many nonverbal children and adults in disabilities, so that many incidents are not reported or not proven without cameras. The cctv are a must to get anywhere for seeing attacks and harm get reported and punished, those workers who are too ignorant to know better, or simply do not care, should be weeded out including management in disabilities organizations. All the apologizing is not enough. Their tears are for themselves. Providers apologize at the Royal commission to show contriteness or sorry for what they allowed, or what they failed to do, but really they are only sorry for being found out by the Royal Commission. Otherwise, they would have continued covering up the things they know are happening in their facilities in order to protect themselves but not the vulnerable they are paid to care for. sign my petition and call for protection for the non verbal and those in disablities who cannot defend or stand up for themselves...
change.org/disabilitycameras
Anndrea Wheatley x