More to be done to stamp out abuse
WHILE society was more attuned to the issue of child abuse more needed to be done to protect children from predators and the courts needed to be braver.
That is the view of Lyndal, a child abuse survivor whose story became the theme of the acclaimed Australian movie Don’t Tell.
Lyndal returned to Toowoomba this week for a special showing of the movie starring Jack Thompson, Aden Young and Sara West which coincided with Child Protection Week.
Don’t Tell covers Lyndal’s story from her time of being abused as a school student by Toowoomba Preparatory School housemaster Kevin Guy (who eventually took his own life after being charged with abusing her) to her legal fight against the school and the church, to getting her life back.
Lyndal, who now works in education, said most schools hadn’t fully grasped how to deal with child abuse or how to recognise it even though a change of laws made it mandatory for police to be called in if there was even a suspicion a child was being abused.
“It’s all about creating awareness and opening up the conversation,” she said.
“Children have to be empowered, to know it’s not okay (to be inappropriately treated) and that there are people who are sick in the mind.
“I think the Royal Commission (into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse) helped a lot; if not for the commission things would still be swept under the carpet.
“But I think the courts have to be braver in sentencing and the police need more powers to charge them (offenders).
“And no suspended sentences. These people get out on parole or on a suspended sentence and are re-offending.
“And it’s not just me saying that, a lot of people are saying that.
“What happens to the victims? The victims are being victimised again, they’re living in fear of the offender being out of jail and coming after them.
“We shouldn’t be a society living in fear.”
Lyndal believes in the whole family of the victim receiving counselling and not just the victim.
“It affects the whole family,” she said.
“My family had counselling. “My parents’ marriage almost broke down.
“I blamed them for not protecting me which amplified their suffering but I would have been crushed had they divorced.
“Through counselling, we pulled together as a family and I think we’re even closer now.
“And, my daughter has been my grounding.
“I didn’t understand my parents but as soon as I had my daughter it hit me.”
Lyndal encouraged parents to avail themselves of literature that taught how to identify signs that a child was being abused in any way.
“I’m a survivor, but a lot aren’t,” she said.
Photo: contributed