Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivers his National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse speech in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on October 22, 2018.
National Apology to acknowledge the failure to protect children and the suffering, loss and courage of survivors. We owe them deeply.
Hundreds of people gathered in Canberra on Monday to hear Mr. Morrison deliver the emotional address in parliament.
It follows a five-year inquiry which found tens of thousands of children had suffered abuse in the nation’s institutions over decades.
“Today, we finally acknowledge and confront the lost screams of our children,” he said. We must be so humble to fall before those who were forsaken and beg to them our apology.”
The inquiry, which concluded last December, heard more than 8,000 testimonies from victims about abuse in organizations such as churches, schools and sports clubs.
With his voice trembling at times, Mr. Morrison acknowledged the suffering of victims and condemned institutional failures.