Formal apology given to child sexual abuse victims

Australia sought to SYDNEY — atone for a decadeslong epidemic of child sexual abuse Monday as Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued an official apology that acknowledged the government’s systemic failures to protect the nation’s children.

The apology, delivered to a gathering of victims in Canberra, the nation’s capital, was the culmination of a fiveyear government inquiry that exposed widespread sexual abuse. The investigation was perhaps the most far-reaching inquiry of its kind undertaken by any country, examining abuse across a range of religious and secular institutions. Investigators found thousands of children were sexually abused and countless instances of accusations were ignored or covered up.

“We are sorry,” Morrison said in the Great Hall of Parliament, as victims, advocates and officials held hands. “Sorry you are not protected. Sorry you are not listened to. We are sorry for refusing to trust the words of children, for not believing you. As we say sorry, we also say we believe you.”

The occasion served as a solemn moment of reckoning. The findings of the investigation, which were released in December, laid bare the scale of the abuse — in schools, churches, sporting clubs and foster homes — and also the lengths to which many institutions went to shield abusers.

Dozens of victims and their families gathered in Canberra for the ceremonies surrounding the apology Monday, and the events were televised across the country. The apology offered a rare display of harmony in Parliament, as Morrison and the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, echoed each other in expressing the nation’s contrition.

But the day also reflected the depths of the victims’ anguish and anger, as some in the crowd heckled the prime minister or stormed from the room in protest.

“He kept saying ‘sorry, sorry, sorry,’ ” said Paul Auchettl, whose abuse by a Catholic brother started when he was 11. “It’s like he didn’t know what else to say. We need somebody to outline a plan forward. It’s not enough to say sorry.”

Officials announced their intention to issue a formal national apology soon after the findings from the investigation, conducted as part of a royal commission, were released last year. The commission, the highest form of investigation in Australia, was announced in 2012. The panel heard from more than 1,000 witnesses over nearly 15 months, officials said.

In August, Roman Catholic leaders in Australia responded to the inquiry with their own lengthy report, apologizing for abuse by priests and church’s failure to confront the problem.

“Until trust is rebuilt,” said Archbishop Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, “all the apologies in the world will miss the mark.”

The church agreed to adopt many of the inquiry’s recommendations but rejected a push to force priests to disclose accusations of sexual abuse heard during confession.

“Today, Australia confronts a trauma, an abomination hiding in plain sight for far too long,” Morrison said in an emotional speech on the floor of Parliament, his voice quavering as he decried the “trust broken, innocence betrayed.”

“I believe you,” Morrison added, referring to the victims. “We believe you. Your country believes you.”

“Hear, hear,” other lawmakers replied.

Some moments seemed almost joyous, like when the Great Hall filled with applause as Julia Gillard, the former prime minister who initiated the commission, was called to give an unplanned speech.

“It took many years to get to this moment,” she said.

There were also quiet tears and outbursts of frustration, with some acknowledging the disagreement over the best ways to provide support for victims.