Abstract
The Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (RCIRCSA)
was a ground-breaking national inquiry held in
Australia between 2013–2017. The RCIRCSA
amplified the voices of victims and survivors
and changed the discourse around one of
society’s most devastating, long-silenced
crimes; the failure of institutions to protect
children in their care. Systemic abuse was
uncovered in educational, religious, sporting
and state-run institutions, most prominently
within the Catholic Church. Evidence emerged
through the Royal Commission’s 57 widely
publicised public hearings, 8000 private
testimonies, its seven-volume final report and
the 2018 National Apology to the victims and
survivors of child sexual abuse in institutions.
The revelations made global media headlines
and forced the communities in which these
institutions operated to reckon with the
legacies of abuse (McCallum and Waller,
2021). They spawned the community
movements and artistic responses that are
the subject of this chapter
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (RCIRCSA)
was a ground-breaking national inquiry held in
Australia between 2013–2017. The RCIRCSA
amplified the voices of victims and survivors
and changed the discourse around one of
society’s most devastating, long-silenced
crimes; the failure of institutions to protect
children in their care. Systemic abuse was
uncovered in educational, religious, sporting
and state-run institutions, most prominently
within the Catholic Church. Evidence emerged
through the Royal Commission’s 57 widely
publicised public hearings, 8000 private
testimonies, its seven-volume final report and
the 2018 National Apology to the victims and
survivors of child sexual abuse in institutions.
The revelations made global media headlines
and forced the communities in which these
institutions operated to reckon with the
legacies of abuse (McCallum and Waller,
2021). They spawned the community
movements and artistic responses that are
the subject of this chapter
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Difficult Conversations |
| Editors | Ursula Frederucj, Ashley Harrison, Tracy Ireland, Justin Magee |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | British Council |
| Chapter | 3 |
| Pages | 19-32 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781915280190 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781915280183 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2023 |
