Similar to Recommendation 3: A statewide truth-telling and accountability process, of the Beaumaris Board of Inquiry Report, Recommendation 4 is another example of the Victorian Government placing the responsibility on survivors to achieve the desired outcome, if they implement this recommendation as is. Link to the report follows.
https://www.beaumarisinquiry.vic.gov.au/report
“Recommendation 4: A restorative engagement program
The Board of Inquiry recommends the Department of Education establish a restorative engagement program for adult victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in government schools who:
- cannot or do not wish to make a civil claim or National Redress Scheme application, or
- have finalised a civil claim against the Department of Education, without the need to make a separate application through the National Redress Scheme, or
- finalised a civil claim before Direct Personal Responses were available. This program would allow these victim-survivors to safely share their experience of child sexual abuse and the harm caused, and receive a personal response from the Department of Education.”
The Department of Education could proactively identify survivors who have finalised a civil claim prior to direct responses being available, an/or finalised a civil claim removing the need to make a redress application.
Why are victims of one of the most serious of crimes, as recognised by the Victorian Penalty scale for imprisonment, (link below) continually being required by the Victorian Government to be responsible for receiving what they need?
https://www.sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au/about-sentencing/maximum-penalties
Child sexual abuse is a social issue that governments are responsible for preventing, and also supporting all of those impacted by this most heinous of crimes.
The Victorian government was forced to act in the face of the relentless stories and investigations that were instigated by Rod Owen courageously sharing his story with ABC’s investigative journalist Russell Jackson. (link below)
Russell Jackson's ongoing investigations revealed the scale of the systemic enabling of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools, prior to, and during, the Beaumaris Board of Inquiry doing so.
The action the Victorian government took - the establishment of the Beaumaris Board of Inquiry - was purposely not preceded by engagement with a wide cross section of Victorian survivors, their families, and communities. Instead, the then Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, chose to meet with a mere handful of survivors of child sexual abuse from Beaumaris Primary School.
Resulting in the extraordinary outcome of an “offender-centric” inquiry, not a “survivor, families and community-centric” inquiry. Limiting the scope of the inquiry to offenders of child sexual abuse, who offended at Beaumaris Primary School during a certain period of time.
An inquiry, that by design, further victimised / discriminated against the majority of survivors who experienced historic child sexual abuse in goverment schools, due to the catastrophic failures of Victorian Department of Education.
This was based on the completely misleading and deliberate, public characterisation by the then Victorian Premier that the scale and impact of historic child sexual abuse that happened at Beaumaris Primary School, was unique. This mischaracterisation is both wrong and immoral.
The following statement of Sexual Assault Services Victoria is the uncomfortable truth for the Victorian Government.
“The violence perpetrated by teachers at Beaumaris Primary School was disturbing, deeply harmful, criminal, and, tragically, not unique.”
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Another reminder that the next Victorian Child Sexual Abuse Survivors and Supporters lunch is on next Wednesday,13th March, an important time for the community to come together after the Beaumaris Board of Inquiry report has been made public.
The Sandringham Hotel is accessible via public transport, a short walk from the Sandringham Railway Station. There is also off street and undercover parking, plus it is wheel chair accessible. There is no minimum spend requirements either, nor is there a booking fee, and there is an express menu available from 11:30 AM - 3 PM midweek, that is a main and dessert for $19.
We have booked a table on the outside balcony, to be Covid and virus safe, as much as possible.
You can turn up on the day, but if it is possible please RSVP beforehand via the Facebook event link below, thank you.
https://fb.me/e/4KeUCMTLl
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Thank you to all our supporters, and please don't hesitate to share your thoughts on the Board of Inquiry recommendations with us too, via our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/CSA3193
We are stronger together.