Australian investigation can pave way for British changes
Manny Waks
The Jewish Chronicle
16 July 2015
With the onset of the independent inquiry into the historical (“non-recent”) sexual abuse of children in the UK, it is worth reflecting on the ongoing Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse currently underway in Australia.
The Royal Commission was announced in 2012 by then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Since the Commission’s work commenced in early 2013, it is fair to say that Australia has been shocked by what it has been exposed to.
Through the Commission’s “case studies,” or public hearings, we have witnessed first-hand the very worst of our society: the sexual abuse of children and the subsequent and deliberate cover-ups of these crimes, which are often accompanied by the re-traumatisation of victims through a range of actions, including intimidating them and their families into silence.
Through these hearings, it has also become abundantly clear that every segment of society is impacted by the scourge of child sexual abuse.
Through my close and personal experience with the Royal Commission, I can emphatically say that much of its success may be attributed to the fact that it has been victim/survivor-centric, meaning that all its activities seem to be infused with consideration primarily for the interests and wellbeing of past and future victims/survivors of child sexual abuse.
It has been clear that each and every aspect of the process has been considered to ensure that victims/survivors participate in it, and with the least trauma possible. This is manifest in their public communications strategy, the support services on offer and their engagement with victims/survivors at all stages – the initial phone interview, the private session and in some cases as a witness at a public hearing. Throughout all, victims/survivors are assured justice, dignity and respect – often an unfamiliar experience to most of us after all that we have endured.
As a past victim myself of two separate perpetrators within the Australian ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, I disclosed my abuse publicly in mid-2011.
As has widely been reported in the Australian and international media, the ramifications of my public disclosure have been profound, ultimately leading to my and my family’s effective exile from our home town in Melbourne.
Not only did I suffer the horrendous abuse, not only was I forced into silence through the deliberate cover-up, but when I finally mustered the courage to publicly expose these injustices, thereby assisting so many who were in a similar situation, I endured additional untold suffering. Sadly my experience is not unique.
I had publicly and privately advocated for the Royal Commission to hold a public hearing into the institution that covered up my abuse – the Yeshivah Centre. That hearing publicly exposed all the injustices that I, my family, and others in a similar position, endured.
The leaders, including many rabbis, were compelled to give evidence. They had nowhere to hide. They were exposed for what they were. And in many cases apologies were forthcoming. For the first time, I (and many others) felt fully vindicated and empowered.
Since the conclusion of that public hearing in mid-February, there have been many resignations and other positive developments.
For the UK inquiry to equally succeed and have the impact its Australian counterpart continues to have, it must invest heavily in the process.
As an outsider, it seems that the UK Inquiry has much work to do.
Its greatest challenge is to gain the trust and support of victims/survivors. After two controversial appointments of inquiry chairs, later allayed through resignations, it was far from an ideal start.
Similarly, appropriately equipping support services is crucial.
There is no doubt that many abuse victims/survivors – both within the Inquiry’s scope and beyond – are suffering now through the current public exposure. For many, just the public discussion has created triggers, often re-opening old wounds.
In my view, public awareness around this issue is essential for the purpose of education, and to ensure that such crimes are prevented to the extent possible. But we must also be sympathetic to the experience of victims/survivors and offer them the support they need. Therefore, it is crucial that relevant and appropriate support services are adequately funded.
The Royal Commission has a budget of around half a billion Australian dollars for the duration of its anticipated five-year inquiry. The reported £17 million for the first year of the UK inquiry seems highly inadequate.
Additionally, no community or segment of the community should be immune from investigation.
It has been alleged that officials refrained from addressing allegations of child sexual abuse by Pakistani men in Rotherham for fear of being branded racist.
The Jewish community must also be examined. In the last few years there has been evidence of the sexual abuse of children, cover-ups and intimidation of victims/survivors. Just last Friday a prominent member of the ultra-Orthodox community was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his sexual crimes against children. And the offender against courageous victim/survivor Yehudis Goldsobel was jailed for his crimes against her.
It is clear that in both of these cases there were systemic failures within the community. Indeed, a 2013 Channel 4 Dispatches program highlighted some of the issues within the Orthodox Jewish community.
There is no doubt that the UK inquiry is of great significance, and has the potential to literally transform the lives of many, just as the Australian Royal Commission has already done.
But it will require a great deal of commitment, cooperation and resources. Hopefully these will be forthcoming.
Manny Waks is a leading a global initiative to address child sexual abuse within Jewish communities.
An edited version of this oped featured in The Jewish Chronicle.
The Royal Commission was announced in 2012 by then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Since the Commission’s work commenced in early 2013, it is fair to say that Australia has been shocked by what it has been exposed to.
Through the Commission’s “case studies,” or public hearings, we have witnessed first-hand the very worst of our society: the sexual abuse of children and the subsequent and deliberate cover-ups of these crimes, which are often accompanied by the re-traumatisation of victims through a range of actions, including intimidating them and their families into silence.
Through these hearings, it has also become abundantly clear that every segment of society is impacted by the scourge of child sexual abuse.
Through my close and personal experience with the Royal Commission, I can emphatically say that much of its success may be attributed to the fact that it has been victim/survivor-centric, meaning that all its activities seem to be infused with consideration primarily for the interests and wellbeing of past and future victims/survivors of child sexual abuse.
It has been clear that each and every aspect of the process has been considered to ensure that victims/survivors participate in it, and with the least trauma possible. This is manifest in their public communications strategy, the support services on offer and their engagement with victims/survivors at all stages – the initial phone interview, the private session and in some cases as a witness at a public hearing. Throughout all, victims/survivors are assured justice, dignity and respect – often an unfamiliar experience to most of us after all that we have endured.
As a past victim myself of two separate perpetrators within the Australian ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, I disclosed my abuse publicly in mid-2011.
As has widely been reported in the Australian and international media, the ramifications of my public disclosure have been profound, ultimately leading to my and my family’s effective exile from our home town in Melbourne.
Not only did I suffer the horrendous abuse, not only was I forced into silence through the deliberate cover-up, but when I finally mustered the courage to publicly expose these injustices, thereby assisting so many who were in a similar situation, I endured additional untold suffering. Sadly my experience is not unique.
I had publicly and privately advocated for the Royal Commission to hold a public hearing into the institution that covered up my abuse – the Yeshivah Centre. That hearing publicly exposed all the injustices that I, my family, and others in a similar position, endured.
The leaders, including many rabbis, were compelled to give evidence. They had nowhere to hide. They were exposed for what they were. And in many cases apologies were forthcoming. For the first time, I (and many others) felt fully vindicated and empowered.
Since the conclusion of that public hearing in mid-February, there have been many resignations and other positive developments.
For the UK inquiry to equally succeed and have the impact its Australian counterpart continues to have, it must invest heavily in the process.
As an outsider, it seems that the UK Inquiry has much work to do.
Its greatest challenge is to gain the trust and support of victims/survivors. After two controversial appointments of inquiry chairs, later allayed through resignations, it was far from an ideal start.
Similarly, appropriately equipping support services is crucial.
There is no doubt that many abuse victims/survivors – both within the Inquiry’s scope and beyond – are suffering now through the current public exposure. For many, just the public discussion has created triggers, often re-opening old wounds.
In my view, public awareness around this issue is essential for the purpose of education, and to ensure that such crimes are prevented to the extent possible. But we must also be sympathetic to the experience of victims/survivors and offer them the support they need. Therefore, it is crucial that relevant and appropriate support services are adequately funded.
The Royal Commission has a budget of around half a billion Australian dollars for the duration of its anticipated five-year inquiry. The reported £17 million for the first year of the UK inquiry seems highly inadequate.
Additionally, no community or segment of the community should be immune from investigation.
It has been alleged that officials refrained from addressing allegations of child sexual abuse by Pakistani men in Rotherham for fear of being branded racist.
The Jewish community must also be examined. In the last few years there has been evidence of the sexual abuse of children, cover-ups and intimidation of victims/survivors. Just last Friday a prominent member of the ultra-Orthodox community was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his sexual crimes against children. And the offender against courageous victim/survivor Yehudis Goldsobel was jailed for his crimes against her.
It is clear that in both of these cases there were systemic failures within the community. Indeed, a 2013 Channel 4 Dispatches program highlighted some of the issues within the Orthodox Jewish community.
There is no doubt that the UK inquiry is of great significance, and has the potential to literally transform the lives of many, just as the Australian Royal Commission has already done.
But it will require a great deal of commitment, cooperation and resources. Hopefully these will be forthcoming.
Manny Waks is a leading a global initiative to address child sexual abuse within Jewish communities.
An edited version of this oped featured in The Jewish Chronicle.