Kathy,

My concern that you and your organisation “Adults surviving child abuse” (another NGO), is your achievements in the long run may only help to cement child abuse into the industry it is becoming: Similar to the prison industry with its corporate investments requiring a constant inflow of prisoners to maintain profits.

The article by Jeremy Sammut on the 3rd july on this site entitled “For all the Ebonys” depicts a more realistic view of the practical outcomes of child abuse, the endemic problem of solving the issue and the personal tragedy that abuse is to the child.

The sad reality of NGO involvement in the child abuse (industry) is their ability to distract Governments attention from rendering first hand, urgent and purposeful, on the ground help to the child. As you do in the disclosures of your article putting a priority on the unproven benefits of submissions to human rights commissions. Put simply, you offer more of what is at fault which is “ivory tower” academia mania.

Out there in our communities right now, are the subjected children with no hope of saving themselves. I ask you Kathy, and the ASCA to stop throwing up smoke screens such as your submission is, clouding the more urgent issues and swallowing-up valuable resources.

Hear, hear.

Great article. I think there's a general issue here about human rights discourse and gender. Seems like the only way we can get women and children's needs recognised in human rights discourse is by explicitly naming them as "women's rights" and "children's rights" ... which begs the question: When we say "human rights", do we really just mean "men's rights"?

It's grimly fascinating that child abuse isn't really understood as a "human rights violation" because the offender isn't a "state actor". Well, no, but the state doesn't do much to stop him, do they?

As for the first two comments - it always sends up a red flag when anonymous posters start complaining about the "child abuse industry". These kinds of claims are invariably coming from "father's rights" and "false memory" activists. It's pitiful, guys. Take your wierdness elsewhere.

So, if people at the coalface's strategies and the idea of a new growth industry to handle a long-ignored and serious social problem offends, what's to be done about adult survivors of child abuse in your views? Is it a human rights issue or not? Is it a public issue rather than private, or not? There's no Government response that even simplistically responds to their very real needs, and the child protection 'industry's' failure to even begin to respond effectively to the vast majority even serious cases - and how serious does it have to be before it harms a child - is a clear predictor the issue is going to continue for many years.

Shall we just continue to ignore them all - lump them all into the 'go away basket' and hope they do go away? They don't you know. Where's your solutions, not just the criticism please?

its still happening in our society till this day , the abuse of our children
im a forgotten australian male raped and abused in 1977,and 1978 daruk boys home by its empolyee's

yet the goverment of new south wales and australia still continue to cover up the rapes and abuse we victims suffered at this boys home and many other state run institutions orphanages , girls homes , state ward homes state run church homes foster homes out of home care and many more institutions age homes , hospitals you name it their arte victims from all types of institutions

yet our stae goverment of new south wales and that of other states and territories of australia still to this day cover up about the rapes abuse slavery , and torture we victims suffered
the goverment knows the truth of us victims but have and do not want to have the guts to addmitt to the truth of what we victims suffered as far as a lot of the politicians out their which is 95 per cent don't care about what we suffered

until something happens to a friend of theirs or a faimly member then they will know how we victims suffer ever day from what we suffered as children

so why is it that our politicians won't stand up for us victims whith the politicians who are trying to suport us i think its about time all and both goverments stand and act for us victims not just a couple of politicians , are they affriad they are going to be sacked for standing up for the truth of us victims is this what the politicans fear if that is so why the hell are they in goverment

so mr rudd your our prime minister stand up for the forgotten australians and that of the new forgotten australians , and put an end to all the cover ups by both the liberal goverment and labour goverment

we are real victims and we will no longer be fogotten , and will not stay silent

regards huffnpuff

Huffnpuff, that is the answer of course - you have to stand up collectively, because we (society) doesnt listen to individuals, and then your group has to fight ever-harder and smarter as time goes by just to get close to what any decent civilisation ought to acknowledge and address.

Thats what ASCA and many other groups have done - with varying success - but there is no easy way.
Then there will be the inevitable criticisms from the world's experts - who will never comprehend the enormity of the lived experience or the consequences to ever really 'get' what you are talking about, accompanied by simplistic, dismissinve complaints about special interest groups. In time these focus/support groups, may eventually grow to be non-govies- if your members have the stamina and passion, but then they can be either defunded or taken over by Government, and more controlled and usually more limited in what they can and will do. Its cheaper this way, and besides, making harmed people fight legally for their just desserts makes money for lawyers. And so the world turns. But if you just give up, the bad guys win.