I watched the apology on TV.
A child of the time, I was brought up and brutalised in orphanages. Did I get anything from the apology? Sorry, I did not because my question is what is being done to stop it.
I do not doubt people were shocked and sorry for what has happened in the past.
Despite children are still being abused.
As a Community Advocate, I spent nearly three days trying to have a child Protection Order on three disabled children.
Too long a story but here is a summary of the outcome.
Response from child Protection? Are the children in immediate danger? No, they are not and will not be until access visit. As one of the issues involves potentially the parent abducting them and taking them overseas it is an urgent issue.
The children had made a complaint on the children’s Helpline. Response? Call us back after the holidays! So much for the Helpline.
The children complained to teachers and their doctors. No action, despite a legal requirement to report any such complaints for further investigation.
It seems no one wanted to hear the children.
Federal police, regarding the question did the Child Alert remain. Sorry we cannot tell you that due to confidentiality or privacy laws.
Immigration? Not our responsibility, Foreign Affairs responsibility.
Foreign Affairs? Not our responsibility, Passport Department.
I asked again about abduction of children to one country and was told that Australia did not have a Geneva Convention agreement regarding extradition and therefore would not take any action.
It would have to be done privately.
Checking the costs was advised $90,000 to $200,000+ depending on what was involved. Certainly puts it beyond low income or pensioners to have the children returned.
What of the future of such children?
While the laws seem very limited and departments reluctant to act I believe that application of the “Precautionary Principle should apply. Then access would be denied and it can then be investigated and dealt with by the courts.
When laws fail to protect the children they need to be amended or changed