CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE INQUIRY HEARS FROM VICTIMS SUPPORT GROUPS

A Victorian parliamentary inquiry has been urged to question Catholic Church employees about the whereabouts of documents that might show sexual abuse being covered up.

The American-based founder of an international victims support group appeared before the inquiry on Monday.

Barbara Blaine of the 'Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests', told the inquiry the church uses many of the same tactics to conceal abuse in Australia as it does worldwide.

She says the inquiry will need to do more than request documents from the church to prove senior officials chose to ignore to paedophilia.

"Bring in the employees and former employees and ask them to swear under oath what documents exist," she told the inquiry.

"When that happens in other jurisdictions we find many more documents exist and more truth is exposed."

She also called for better support services for victims who come forward.

Another witness from the same support group, Nicky Davis, earlier described the lack of counselling for victims in Victoria as obscene.

She says the vast majority of victims are not ge...

 

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