What is the National Redress Scheme?
The National Redress Scheme has been set up to help those mob who were sexually abused as children in institutions. It is to acknowledge what was done, the harm it has caused and the ways it has affected your life. The National Redress Scheme was recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
A lot of our mob will need help to take the redress journey; help to know what’s involved, help to decide whether to begin this journey, help to decide if it’s the right path and what happens at the end of the journey.
The Redress Scheme could provide three things:
- Access to counselling and healing
- A direct personal response, such as an apology
- A monetary payment
Which institutions are included?
We know that child sexual abuse has happened in places that care for children. These places are called institutions and include:
- schools
- religious organisations, such as churches, mosques and temples
- church and/or government run missions and reserves
- sporting clubs
- child-care centres or facilities
- children’s homes, foster care, kinship or respite care that is provided on behalf of an organisation
- hostels
- other organisations in the community
The abuser may be:
- a worker
- a volunteer
- a member of a club
- someone who provides services to the institution
- any other person who is connected to the institution.
The child sexual abuse might have happened at an institution, or in another place. For example, the abuse might have happened while a worker was caring for a child at the child's home.
What is sexual abuse? Please be aware that this definition is explicit and uses language people may find confronting.
A child or young person is sexually abused when any person uses their power over the child to involve the child in sexual activity. It may include fondling of the child’s genitals (or getting the child to fondle the perpetrator’s genitals); masturbation (with the child as either observer or participant); oral sex; vaginal or anal penetration by a penis, finger, or any other object; fondling of breasts; voyeurism (peeping/observing) or exhibitionism (flashing). It can also include exposing the child to pornography or using the child for the purposes of sexual exploitation.