Many survivors found the experience of seeking redress to be itself highly distressing and traumatic. They are required to recount their experiences to strangers in often very considerable and intimate detail again and again to different people. In the process, they relive the abuse in a very powerful way. Survivors appreciate that some aspects of this process – such as the disclosures – are unavoidable, but the effects can be minimised through compassion, empathy and sensitivity – which are missing from all redress processes. Instead, they were met with disbelief, opposing attitudes and demands to prove events that took place decades ago, which was impossible as it involved children in situations where there were no witnesses and no evidence.

“I felt like I was being treated like a liar, even though no one actually took the step of talking to anyone who might know.”

Next: 2.6 Other avenues for redress