Common stories of clients who have suffered child abuse

Every client’s story is different but over time and after dealing with hundreds of cases there are some commonalities of the effect such abuse has on people.

Some things we have noticed are:

• Difficulties with relationships with others
• Difficulties with persons in authority
• A rebellious attitude
• Preferring own company and having limited friends
• Excess alcohol use to escape
• Drug use to escape
• Nightmares
• Multiple jobs
• Multiple addresses
• Ongoing rumination
• Anxiety
• Depression and sadness
• Hypervigilance

We have assisted clients in very successful careers who still have these underlying difficulties. We have also assisted clients who have had very limited work histories as the effect of the abuse is overwhelming and debilitating.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse conducted over 8,000 private sessions with abuse survivors.

Almost 3,500 institutions were identified by the persons giving evidence to the Royal Commission.

The Catholic Church accounted for over 60% of the institutions in which abuse occurred. From the people who spoke to the Royal Commission, over 35% had been abused in a Catholic Church institution. Almost 2 in 3 of the survivors who spoke to the Royal Commission were men. The average age of a person speaking to the Royal Commission was 52.

The almost 8,000 people who gave evidence to the Royal Commission still represent a tiny fraction of those who have been physically or sexually abused as children in Australia. We are often contacted by people who are talking about their abuse experiences for the first time.

As part of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (‘ABS’) Personal Safety Survey in 2016/17, interviews were conducted with 21,250 people and one of the questions asked was whether they experienced physical or sexual abuse before the age of 15. Based on the responses the ABS concluded the following:

• An estimated 1.4 million Australian adults have experienced sexual abuse perpetrated by an adult when they were aged under 15.
• An estimated 1.6 million Australian adults have experienced physical abuse perpetrated by an adult when they were aged under 15.
• Approximately 65% of men were sexually abused by someone outside their family.
• Approximately 29% of men were physically abused by someone outside their family.
• Approximately 47% of women were sexually abused by someone outside their family.
• Approximately 16% of women were physically abused by someone outside their family.

Numerous studies have concluded that childhood abuse is hugely under reported by survivors of such abuse. The fact that only approximately 8,000 people spoke to the Royal Commission demonstrates that this is only a small proportion of the very large number of people likely to have been abused.

Many people suffer in silence as they do not want to open the ‘can of worms’ by talking about what happened. Many people are worried they won’t be believed.  The days of sweeping the truth under the carpet are gone.  Survivors have greater opportunities than ever before to make a complaint and seek compensation.

At MKF Lawyers we are not critical of those who do not want to talk about their childhood abuse history. But if you do want to talk and you want it to be with someone who has talked to hundreds of other survivors, you can contact us. If you have a chat with us about your circumstances and making a claim, and you then decide you don’t want to do anything further, there is no charge and the entire process is guarded by legal professional privilege and is strictly confidential.

Accessing compensation for the losses you have suffered is much easier than previously. There is no time limit, but the sooner you act, the better evidence you will have and this could result in you getting more of the compensation you deserve. You can call us on 08 7093 2955, text us at 0482 075 591 or email us at info@mkflawyers.com.au