Faith-based institutions have topped the list of organisations where child sexual abuse is reported to have occurred.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has handed down its interim report, marking the half-way point of the inquiry which began two years ago.

So far, the Commission has found 60.1 per cent of all institutions where abuse occurred were faith-based. The majority (one third) of those faith-based institutions were classed as an “industrial school, training school, reformatory, orphanage or children’s home”, followed by an “educational” and then a “religious” (ie. church/place of worship) institution.

Of the faith-based institutions where abuse occurred, 68 per cent were Catholic, and 12 per cent Anglican. Survivors have reported that perpetrators were most commonly members of the clergy (28.8 per cent), followed by teachers and residential care workers.

It’s a damning report which reveals a history of repeated abuse, multiple perpetrators, barriers to reporting, and adults who have systematically failed to protect children under their care.

The commission believes child sexual abuse in institutions is widely under-reported, despite mandatory reporting laws. It’s also found that many institutions respond to abuse claims by holding internal investigations, which has failed to prevent further abuse, or provide satisfactory compensation to victims.

Another interesting finding is that the majority of victims were by far male, and around age 10 when abused. On average, they took 22 years to report their abuse, with men taking longer than women.

The Commission is looking at whether there is need for a national pre-employment screening agency to prevent abusers ending up in employment which exposes them to children.

It’s also considering a national body overseeing child safety and sexual abuse and an independent body to oversee and regulate the out-of-home care industry.

There’s also the possibility of a national scheme for redressing victims of institutional child sexual abuse and changes to the criminal justice system.

Running a Royal Commission of this scale is no cheap affair. At 30 April 2014, the five Commissioners and Chair of the Commission were supported by 250 full-time equivalent staff and contractors. The budget for the Inquiry is $281.13 million across four years.

The Commission has asked for another two years to finish its work, and an extra $104 million in funding, arguing it has another 57 public hearings and 3,000 private sessions it needs to hold before handing down its recommendations.

To make a report to the inquiry, you can call 1800 099 340 or email contact@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au.

Image credit: Vinoth Chandar via Flickr under CC License.