Australian Prime Minister to deliver national apology

Australian Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has pledged to deliver a national apology to the survivors, victims and families of institutional child sexual abuse.

He says his government has so far accepted 104 of the 122 recommendations made by the royal commission.

The upcoming apology was sparked by a five-year inquiry into child sexual abuse. The apology will be on October, 22 coinciding with National Children’s week, which delved into more than 8,000 cases of sexual misconduct largely committed at religious and state-run institutions responsible for the safety of children.

Turnbull says, “for many of you the royal commission was the first chance you had to be heard, to have your pain acknowledged, and most importantly to be believed. The crimes committed against you were validated in your evidence. You testified to them. You were heard and you were believed, and the wrong doers have been brought to account.”

It is rare for the Australian government to issue a national apology which is reserved for egregious misdeeds where the state has played a role.

Turnbull says, “Now i will deliver a national apology to the survivors, victims and families of institutional child sexual abuse on the 22nd of October here in Canberra. The apology will coincide with national children’s week. A date chosen to bring together our acknowledgement of the past and our commitment to the future well-being and safety of children in Australia.”

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to members of the Stolen Generations of indigenous Australians, who were forcibly taken from their families and communities when they were young children.