Victim-survivors expressed disbelief and disappointment over the revelation of fraudulent claims of childhood sexual abuse, which were alleged to be organised. The alleged false claims have seen millions of dollars of payments by the NSW government to people who lied in civil claims about suffering institutional childhood sexual abuse.
Victim-survivors often struggle to share their experiences of abuse and often find that they are met with disbelief when they do attempt to tell someone.
Jackie Mead, Knowmore CEO states, “Research indicates that 1 in 3 people would not believe a child who discloses abuse. This has resulted in many people suffering in silence and not disclosing until they are adults. The concerns raised by survivors are very real. To have a group of people deliberately defraud a system designed to help survivors is not only unbelievable; it is abhorrent. And it increases the perception that survivors can’t be believed.”
Some survivors feel that the alleged fraudulent activity will make people less willing to believe their stories. It could also mean that there are less options available for true victim-survivors.
It appears that many of these alleged fraudulent claims were brought to private civil law firms by people engaging in claims farming, with that activity being an integral part of this sickening model.
“The current court case highlights why there needs to be more discussion around uniform claims-farming laws in all states, and an open conversation about childhood sexual abuse to remove the stigma and allow survivors to own their stories,” said Jackie.
Knowmore is a community legal centre that provides free, independent legal advice and multidisciplinary support for survivors of child sexual abuse.
For more information or to arrange media interviews with a local representative, contact media officer Barbara Charan on 0432 681 037 or email via media@knowmore.org.au