Child abuse: research to help end redress failures begins

Justice and financial compensation remain unsatisfactory or elusive for many survivors of institutional child sexual abuse — but an international research initiative aims to change that. 

By examining lessons learned from significant inquiries in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, England and Wales, the study seeks to develop a framework to assist governments in effectively addressing institutional abuse.

The quest for justice and financial compensation remains frustratingly inadequate for many survivors, prompting the research, led by legal experts Professor Jodi Gardner (University of Auckland), Associate Professor Allison Silink (University of Technology Sydney) and Professor Paula Giliker (University of Bristol).

The study comes at a critical time, as survivors in New Zealand await government announcements on redress following the recent Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care and the UK government faces calls for further enquiries into failures to identify and prevent child sexual abuse.

Australia’s 2017 Royal Commission findings into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and England and Wales’ Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which concluded in 2022, highlight the complexities of the persistent challenges faced by survivors of institutional child sexual abuse in obtaining justice and fair compensation. 

These countries, with their shared legal heritage and differing stages of reform, provide a unique basis for comparative analysis, says Professor Gardner, the Brian Coote Chair in Private Law at Auckland Law School.

“The time is ripe for critically analysing these inquiries at their different stages to feed back to all three jurisdictions.  

“The legal framework we develop will be embedded with victims’ voices, practical experience from the inquiries and research approaches from social policy, criminology and psychology. This will allow us to ensure the guidelines developed are legally practical, sensitive to the needs of victims and appropriate to the three jurisdictions.” 

Professor of comparative law Paula Giliker says it’s important to examine institutional child sexual abuse from the perspective of different legal systems, all of which have engaged in extensive public enquiries.

“Bringing together experts from these three jurisdictions will facilitate practical recommendations to enhance access to redress.”

Associate professor Allison Silink notes that 2025 marks a decade since the publication of the Redress and Civil Litigation Report by the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

“This a good opportunity to take stock of progress made in Australia in implementing recommendations for reform, to identify where the gaps and challenges remain in avenues for redress, and to critically examine how they compare with the other jurisdictions.

“These findings will directly inform the legal framework for the future of redress and compensation proposals which we intend to develop.”

At the heart of the project is a workshop in September 2025 which will bring together key stakeholders, including commissioners, judges, victim advocacy groups, and academics, to discuss legal and practical barriers to redress.

The team plans to share their findings widely through a free-to-read publication, which will serve as a global reference point for policymakers and stakeholders. Follow-up meetings and further grant applications are planned to expand the project’s scope and connect directly with survivors and their representatives to hear viewpoints on how to best obtain justice and financial redress. 

The project received funding from the Worldwide Universities Network.