Since last night's 1st episode of @RevelationABC a number of caring Australians have asked how they can be better advocates for survivors. It is a good question and thank you for asking. I am not a primary svr. My husband is a svr of a catholic clergy paedophile ring based in

the Cairns diocese.I do not assume to speak for survivors. I speak based on the challenges my family faces and the observations I have made over many years. Svrs face obstacles at every turn:

1 JUSTICE SYSTEM: Biased towards 'respectable' defendants & discredits svr evidence

based on their trauma. Requires corroborative witnesses yet this crime rarely has any witnesses. The foundation of the system is based on the principle of it being "better to let a guilty man go free than find an innocent man guilty". In weighing the evidence, the balance is

therefore tilted heavily in favour of the defendant. There needs 2B a root & branch review of the system with respect to sex crimes to ensure justice for all parties(& to protect society from predators). Perhaps there needs 2B a distinct sex crimes court similar to the DFV court.

2 COUNSELLING: Tertiary institutions have not been training practitioners, counsellors in childhood/complex trauma. Consequently, the counselling available to survivors is not fit for purpose and while some svrs may respond well to their counselling (ie., have a trained

counsellor or derive benefit from being heard), the overwhelming comments from svrs is that counselling is often ineffective. Psychiatric drugs are heavily used which keeps them alive but doesn't assist in dealing with the underlying trauma. The drugs also have adverse effects

which create a new set of problems.This situation has occurred because in the 70s, 80s,90s when these cases 1st started going to court, the church threw its resources/lawyers at the issue. They dragged up 'expert' witnesses to tout a false memory theory (since debunked.)

The theory took flight. Even the media jumped on that bandwagon. The church won its cases. Svrs were silenced. Govts therefore defunded academic research into childhood/complex trauma. So,in terms of research, training of professionals and counselling being offered to svrs we are

at embryonic stages.

3 REDRESS:The Royal Comm recommended a svr focused national redress scheme. ALL govts, state & federal conspired to abandon the recommendations and protect institutional wealth.

The scheme was rushed through the federal parliament at 5 minutes to midnight without proper scrutiny. For an excellent analysis of how the govt betrayed svrs, read this report from the UNSW Law Journal:-

http://www.unswlawjournal.unsw.edu.au/article/unravelling-redress-for-institutional-abuse-of-children-in-australia/

Additionally, the scheme allowed institutions

to choose whether to opt in. Institutions must opt in by June 2020. If they fail to do so, svrs of their predators cannot participate in the redress scheme. Several institutions have not yet joined and there is no penalty for not joining the scheme.

4 PATERNALISM: Everybody speaks for svrs. Politicians, journalists, media personalities, lawyers, counsellors, social workers, health practitioners. Everybody is an expert. They arrogantly assume they know and fully understand the survivor experience, fully understand complex

trauma and know exactly what svrs need.Rarely do we hear the svr voice. There are panels, advisory groups, committees, even redress roundtables packed with 'representatives', 'experts', 'advocates' all people who have no idea about the lived realities of svrs but few, often no

svrs have a seat at these tables. On the rare occasions that they do, they are ignored, talked over, discussed as though they aren't even present and often, denied even the right to speak - literally. These groups are given the power to make decisions about what is in the 'best

interests' of svrs. They make those decisions arrogantly & in ignorance forcing what they deem to be best upon svrs. At the very heart of child sexual abuse is denial of agency. Svrs are still being denied agency, are being silenced just as the perpetrators did and are being

re-traumatised daily by every institution in our society.

5 CATHOLIC CHURCH: You can see for yourself that post Royal Comm, nothing has changed.The church still fights svrs, and is still not safeguarding children.

So what can you do to advocate for svrs? During the looming lockdown period, use the time to:

1 EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE TOPIC: Watch docos like #RevelationABC, the excellent Polish doco "Tell No One" . Watch the movie "Spotlight". Read books: "Hell on the

Way to Heaven" by @ChrissieFoster7 & @paulwkennedy "Cardinal" by @Milliganreports "Fallen" by @luciemorrismarr "Unholy Trinity" by Denis Ryan & @JacktheInsider "Walking toward Thunder" by @Peter_Fox59 "The Priests" by @jamesmiller62 "The Case of the Pope" by Geoffrey Robertson QC

2 EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT CHILDHOOD/COMPLEX TRAUMA: Follow academics like @mike_salter and groups like @BlueKnotOrg @BraveheartsInc @SAMSNaus @LivingWellAus @DrummondStreet

3 FOLLOW SVRS ON TWITTER: People like @Georgie_Burg_45 @LisaSengstock @dassi_erlich @CLAN_AU Amplify their voices. Learn from them. Like their tweets. Retweet them tagging politicians.Allow svrs to speak for themselves but you can play a crucial role in broadcasting their voice.

4 LOBBY YOUR STATE & FEDERAL MEMBERS to amend the redress scheme to provide redress as recommended by the Royal Comm; to conduct a root & branch review of the justice system with respect to sex abuse crimes; to fund academic research/centres of excellence into complex trauma.

Lobby govt to fund more support services for svrs, especially make specific support services and services in the regions. Many svrs live in rural & regional areas (to escape people & noise), yet the support services in those areas are non existent.

When svrs tweet that they are being denied a seat at decision making tables and are not being consulted retweet, retweet, retweet. Lobby hard to ensure svrs are heard. Call out anybody in the public space and in your own private work and social spaces who disbelieves,

disrespects, or makes light of the svr experience. I can't tell you, how many times my husband has had to sit in work places and meeting listening to people ignorantly make jokes about 'kiddy fiddlers'. Be a loud advocate for svrs. Educate the people around you.

Lobby the govt to remove the charitable tax status from institutions that fail to join the redress scheme, lobby against the religious discrimination bill, lobby the govt to review safeguarding measures in religious institutions and schools. The Catholic Church are setting their

own safeguarding standards and are auditing themselves. This does not work and cannot continue. The state must take on the responsibility of regulating the Catholic Church.

Tie ribbons on church and school fences. Follow @loudfence. March in the streets. Svrs are busy trying to survive & their families are trying to keep them alive. They can't fight these obstacles alone. Australians need to support those who were heinously abused, defiled &

abandoned in the name of religion. Children whose lives were sacrificed so Australians could live the comforting illusion of a moral, righteous & civil society. Australians owe survivors.