Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Oct. 22 apologized, on behalf of Australia, to victims of institutional child sexual abuse.
Morrison began his speech addressing the hundreds of victims and their supporters, who traveled to Canberra to hear the national apology, as well as those who were watching elsewhere in the country.
The prime minister said the invisible suffering and tears the children endured sparked questions of why the nation’s children were not loved, nurtured and protected, and why it had taken so long to act.
At one point appeared near tears, Morrison said he spoke of “only profound grief and loss” and “nothing we can do now [will] right the wrongs inflicted on our nation’s children.”
During his speech, the prime minister also proposed a museum that would document information about the royal commission and national apology, as well as serving as a place for reflection and remembrance.
He was also set to launch a national center of excellence to raise awareness and understanding of the impacts of sexual child abuse, and report to parliament on the progress of the implementation of royal commission recommendations, each year for the next five years. JB
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