Project Description
This project is investigating and comparing the trajectories of disclosure of two groups of victim/survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) – people over and under 30 years of age with a disclosure experience between 2013 and 2022. These groups differentiate adults that disclosed abuse during or after the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (The Commission). This project is centred on survivors’ wellbeing, with a multidisciplinary and nation-wide lens. The aim of this project is to understand barriers and facilitators for disclosure and the role of The Commission in this dynamic; if there has been any change in disclosure experiences across time which may be attributed to The Commission.
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
This project has been funded by the National Centre Against Child Sexual Abuse, and is a collaboration between Griffith University’s Disrupting Violence Beacon, the Australian Centre for Child Protection at the University of South Australia and Mates Support Network (SAMSN). A board of lived experience representatives provide input and guidance into the research process. By developing existing knowledge of disclosure process of victim/survivors and responses to disclosures, this project seeks to improve disclosure response practices benefiting all victim/survivors of CSA and their affected support networks. By identifying policy and practice recommendations it can be ensured that victim/survivors are supported during the disclosure process and disclosure recipients are equip with knowledge and skills of how to respond.
Outcomes to Date
This project is currently underway with a completion date of May 2025. Preliminary data collection through a systematic academic literature review, a systematic grey literature review, and a secondary analysis synthesising evidence from two inquiries, The Commission and the Tasmania Government’s Commission of Inquiry have been completed. These reviews highlight that disclosure should not be considered a one-time event. Disclosure is a gradual process which takes shape and evolves across a victim/survivor’s life. Findings suggest specific attributes of disclosure for males and females, and across different developmental stages of a person’s life. Both male and female victim/survivors are subject to negative responses to disclosure stemming from gendered societal stereotypes.
Interviews with victim/survivors are currently underway and a survey is currently under development.
Project Significance
The Commission found that not only had institutions failed to protect children from abuse, they had at times responded to disclosures with denial, coverups, and further punishment or abuse of the victim/survivor. Following the inquiry The Commission published a series of recommendations to ensure the safety of children in contact with institutions, and how disclosures of abuse should be responded to. This project is the first to assess the effectiveness of the recommendation for responses to CSA disclosure in institutions, and the impact of these recommendations in the broader society. Though investigating historic and current disclosure experiences of victim/survivors, this project will identify current barriers and facilitators for disclosure and if disclosure experiences for victim/survivors have improved. By tracking changes in disclosure experiences across time, and identifying common themes or patterns, this project will make recommendations for policy development, institutional practices, and resources for the general public. Through this Australia can ensure the rights of victim/survivors are upheld, justice is instilled in our systems, and we can work towards ending the abuse of children.