Christain Brothers 'knew of abuse claims'
Christian Brothers’ leaders knew of allegations of sexual abuse of children at four WA orphanages and failed to manage the homes to prevent the systemic ill-treatment for decades, a royal commission has found.
A report released today has found the Christian Brothers failed in their obligation to provide for and educate the orphans, with inspections by visiting supervisors from the order over the decades paying more attention to financial and religious matters than the welfare of the children.
The report by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has also found State authorities played a limited role in the care of the boys, which contributed to their isolation and limited options for disclosing their abuse.
The findings in the case study of the four homes come after a public hearing in Perth in April which laid bare harrowing details of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, neglect and unpaid child labour at the Bindoon, Clontarf, Castledare and Tardun orphanages.
Eleven former residents of the homes told the two-week hearing of their stories of abuse, including being groomed as “sex pets”, sadistically beaten, raped, neglected in appalling living conditions and disbelieved or ignored when they reported their treatment.
The commission has found that in each of the decades from 199 to the 1960s, the Christian Brothers council knew of the allegations of sexual abuse against some brothers and from 1947 to 1968 the order’s leadership failed to manage the homes to prevent the sexual abuse of the children living there.
It also found that in the face of legal action by the abused former residents in 1993, the main concerns during a meeting between Christian Brothers leaders and their lawyers at was the cost of the proceedings and there was “no sentiment of recognising the suffering of the survivors”.
But the report also acknowledged significant developments in the way State Government agencies care for and monitor children in residential care.
The case study identified issues relating to civil litigation and criminal prosecutions against alleged perpetrators of abuse which the report said would be considered in further reports by the commission.
