ASCA in the news
2010
2009
- Forget-me-knot Day
November 13th
Interview with Janine Andrews, Tennant Creek Women’s Refuge
Corin Linch, a bush poet speak courageously about his abuse
Susan Leith Miller, Dr. Johanna Lynch and Gail O’Keefe talk about Forget-me-knot Day
Interview with survivor, “Julie” and Cathy Kezelman with Reverend Bill Crews
More support needed for child abuse victims and families
Press Release - Senator the Hon Mark Arbib
All media coverage for Forget-me-knot Day
- November 2009
"Proud Survivor"
Untying the knots of childhood
Forget-me-knot
Help needed to restore lives shattered by abuse
- October 2009
All the alarm bells rung by Ebony's case were ignored
- September 2009
Many Child Abuse Cases Remain Unreported
- August 2009
Child abuse payment cut blasted
Help surviving effects of abuse
- July 2009
Alarm as crisis calls to kids helpline soar
Help for abused
Adults Surviving Child Abuse responds to the Productivity Commission Report
- June 2009
Life sentence needs a lifetime of care
June 17 Anglican Church reviews anti-abuse strategy
Editorial South Sydney Herald, June 2009
- May 2009
Letters to the Editor
Michael Salter on Cardinal Pell's response to the Irish clergy abuse report
Cathy Kezelman on Dokic saga highlights generational cycle of abuse
- April 2009
ASCA moves full steam ahead with workshop program
Ignore the danger signs of sex abuse at our peril
- March 2009
Child abuse survivor a national leader
Crime victims may get advocate
Victim now an adviser
- February 2009
Shock ads show pain of child abuse
Abuse, a sick joke from the father of the bride
In-your-face child abuse campaign
- January 2009
State 'not ready' for child sex reporting
- November 2008
More funds for abused children
Honour for child-help campaigner
ASCA salute to funding
- October 2008
DCP short by 116 workers
Honour for child-help campaigner
ASCA salute to funding
- August 2008
Stars come out to shine
- July 2008
Bishop attacked on sex abuse remarks
- June 2008
Abuse legislation falls short: ASCA
Not reporting child sex abuse is now illegal
- May 2008
Macklin urges national approach on child abuse
- March 2008
Our upside down values
- February 2008
WA "dithering" on child abuse reporting laws
- January 2008
Pain of abuse killed Emma
- 2006
Child protection 'not number one' priority on Govt's agenda
Support group backs calls for abuse inquiry
Abused to `break free'
Child sex register bid
Helping men come to terms with sexual abuse
Disgust at back pay for serial sex fiend
- 2005
Pedophiles wreak havoc on NT children
New quest for abused
|
November 13th - Forget-me-knot Day
Interview with Janine Andrews, Tennant Creek Women’s Refuge - starts at around 15 mins from the end of the recording:
http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2009/11/08/2736428.htm?site=darwin
To hear Corin Linch, a bush poet speak courageously about his abuse and about Forget-me-knot Day go to:
http://blogs.abc.net.au/wa/2009/11/corin-linch.html#comments?program=south west early mornings
To hear Susan Leith Miller, Dr. Johanna Lynch and Gail O’Keefe talk about Forget-me-knot Day, ASCA and the needs of child abuse survivors, go to:
http://www.96five.com/pages/content.aspx?pid=128
Interview with survivor, “Julie” and Cathy Kezelman with Reverend Bill Crews
www.dl.dropbox.com/u/3275628/Cathy.wav
Press Release
SENATOR THE HON MARK ARBIB
Minister for Employment Participation
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery
Click here to read the pdf
MORE SUPPORT NEEDED FOR CHILD ABUSE VICTIMS and FAMILIES
Monday 16 November 2009
Media Release - Jillian Skinner MP
Member for North Shore
Deputy NSW Opposition Leader
Shadow Minister for Health
associations/8549/files/Forget me knot day - Jillian Skinner.pdf
South Sydney Herald - see editorial on page 10
http://www.southsydneyherald.com.au/pdf/SSHNOV09.pdf
Adelaide Advertiser
associations/8549/files/091114 - Adelaide Advertiser - Forget me knot day.pdf
Help needed to restore lives shattered by abuse
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=9682
Faith-based press
Catholica eBulletin November 13
http://www.catholica.com.au/email/1151-1200/1195.html
Christian Today (Australia)
'Forget me knot day' support Australian adult survivors to child abuse
http://au.christiantoday.com/article/forget-me-knot-day-support-australian-adult-survivors-to-child-abuse/7176.htm
Insights - Uniting Church magazine online - October 13
Pray for healing spaces
http://www.news.nsw.uca.org.au/2009/child-abuse-liturgy_13-10-09.htm
Television and Radio
SBS TV interview 1 – Nov 13 6:30pm
associations/8549/files/SBS News 13.11.2009.wmv
SBS TV interview 2 - re: Forgotten Australians will show Sunday night Nov 15
Channel 7 News – Nov 13 6:00pm
The SMH
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/child-abuse-haunts-victims-for-years-mp-20091113-idyw.html
Child abuse haunts victims for years: MP
November 13, 2009
AAP
Victims of child abuse grow up but they don't leave the abuse behind them, Senator Mark Arbib said at the launch of Forget-me-knot day.
The day aims to highlight the struggle adult victims go through as they try to untangle the knots of child abuse.
"As a society we sometimes forget that abused children grow up," Senator Arbib, the founder of Parliamentarians Against Child Abuse and Neglect, told reporters at Friday's launch.
"They don't leave that abuse in their childhood and many go through life with a misplaced sense of shame, suffering in silence," he said.
The Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA) organisation, which is behind Forget-me-knot day, says 76 per cent of women and 72 per cent of men with severe mental illness have been abused.
ASCA chairperson Cathy Kezelman said people found the trauma of child abuse hard to comprehend so it was often ignored.
"Society is slowly recognising that silence around child abuse is harmful," Dr Kezelman said.
"Community and government acknowledgment and support for survivors is critical for their healing process," she said.
Senator Arbib agreed, saying that ignoring the problem gave power to abusers.
"Child abuse is challenging and disturbing but it is too important to sweep under the carpet," he said.
"With the right help and support, survivors can find their way through the tangle of child abuse and find a sense of wellbeing and re-engage positively in their communities."
-----------------------Ends------------------------
Article syndicated:
SBS News Online
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1131422/Child-abuse-victims:-Forget-me-knot
Tony Serve http://tonyserve.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/forget-me-knot-day-today-support-australian-adult-survivors-to-untangle-the-knot-of-child-abuse/
‘FORGET ME KNOT DAY’- TODAY – SUPPORT AUSTRALIAN ADULT SURVIVORS TO UNTANGLE THE KNOT OF CHILD ABUSE
November 13, 2009 — tony serve
Please support ‘FORGET ME KNOT DAY’- 13th November
SUPPORT AUSTRALIAN ADULT SURVIVORS TO UNTANGLE THE KNOT OF CHILD ABUSE
13th November 2009: Friday 13th November is ASCA’s Forget-me-knot Day, when all Australians are encouraged to show their support for more than two million adult Australians[i] personally affected by childhood abuse, as part of an International Week For Prevention of Child Abuse.
ASCA is the key organisation advancing the needs of adults who have experienced child abuse. The knot in ‘Forget-me-knot’ Day is symbolic of the ‘tangle’ of childhood abuse, which in most cases is a lifelong challenge for the adult to unravel. For this largely ignored group, untangling the knot of childhood abuse is often a solitary, confusing and complex task.
Through a range of activities including a national petition, a photographic competition and the unravelling of a mammoth knot on an iconic Sydney building, ASCA’s ‘Forget-me-knot Day’ raises awareness of this struggle, and gives all Australians an opportunity to donate, and help adult survivors to reconnect with their community. Details can be found here www.asca.org.au/forgetmeknot
ASCA Chairperson, Dr Cathy Kezelman says, “As a society we can forget that abused children grow up. We find the trauma of childhood abuse difficult to comprehend; so it is often ignored, left unspoken and unaddressed. As a result, many survivors feel a misplaced sense of shame about their abuse, and suffer in silence, feeling isolated and marginalized. Many survivors suffer from low self-esteem, struggling with a sense of their own value and worth. ASCA works to empower survivors, encouraging nurture and self-care, while also establishing a healthy support network and providing tools for positive change.”
A feature of the Forget-me-knot Day celebrations is a ‘ceremony of connection’ performance, which takes the thread from the ASCA tangled knot and weaves it between individuals, connecting those affected by child abuse with one another, but also with family and friends, as well as with the broader community.
The impact of child abuse is not just felt by the children. The adults they become, their families, their partners and their community are all impacted by this tragedy. More than eight million Australian community members are directly affected by child abuse. In a population of 22 million, this is a staggering figure.
Dr Kezelman adds “Society is slowly recognising that silence around child abuse is harmful. Speaking about and acknowledging childhood abuse and its long-term impact is important. Community and government acknowledgement and support for survivors is critical for their healing process. So many people are affected by this tragedy and yet those abused often feel they must keep their pain a secret. The child is the victim, yet the processing of the violation can be a life-long struggle for the adult to overcome.”
Child sexual assault is widespread in this country. One in three girls and one in six boys is sexually abused before the age of eighteen in Australia. Neglect, emotional abuse and domestic violence additionally devastate thousands of childhoods. Last year alone, there were 55,120 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect, and real figures are estimated to be much higher.
Ignoring this health issue has a societal and economic cost, as the following statistics illustrate:
- 76% of women and 72% of men with severe mental illness have been abused.
- 84% of Odyssey House participants (drug rehabilitation program in Australia) report a history of child abuse.
- 80-85% of women in Australian prisons are victims of incest or other types of abuse.
- Sexually abused females in crisis centres are four times more likely to have a history of substance abuse and twice as likely to be alcoholic.
In November 2008, Access Economics published a report estimating the financial impact projected over a lifetime for children abused or neglected for the first time in 2007. In 2007, it was estimated that 130,237 children were abused or neglected for the first time in Australia, although the figure could be as high as 490,000 children. Based on these numbers, the projected cost of child abuse and neglect that will be incurred by the Australian community over the lifetime of children who were first abused or neglected in 2007 was $13.7 billion, but could be as high as almost $40 billion.
Earlier this year, ASCA made a submission to the Human Rights Commission Consultation and the United Nations seeking global change in the rights of victims of child abuse and child sexual abuse by caregivers in the private domain, calling for such acts to be recognised as a violation of human rights.
For fifteen years, ASCA has provided support for those who have suffered abuse in the past and are struggling with its effects in the present, and raised awareness about the legacy of childhood trauma. Through its Australia-wide network of survivors, supporters and professionals, ASCA has been helping to break down the sense of isolation and alienation that many survivors feel.
With the right help and support, survivors can find their way through the tangle of child abuse and find a sense of health and wellbeing and re-engage positively in their communities. Listening, understanding and supporting are critical to the healing process. ASCA is a core part of the solution, delivering evidence-based workshops to adult survivors of child abuse, and workshops for health practitioners to inform treatment of survivors of child abuse around Australia.
“ASCA has been instrumental in helping survivors and their loved ones to find the right dialogue to overcome their trauma and build lasting connections to society. Through ‘Forget me knot’ Day – we aim to turn this dialogue into a national conversation so that survivors experience the nurture as adults –they were denied as children, and make positive steps to recovery,” said Dr Kezelman.
Media Contact: Amanda McGregor ph: (02) 9492 1004 mb: 0411 222 311
About ASCA: (www.asca.org.au) (www.asca.org.au/forgetmeknot)
-----------------------Ends------------------------
Channel Nine News
www.news.9msn.com.au/article.aspx?id=970827
The West Australian
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/-/lifestyle/6470139/child-abuse-haunts-victims/
The Age News
Catholica
Tennant Creek - Your Guide
http://tennantcreek.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/abuse-survivors-remembered/1676584.aspx">
Rescu
http://www.rescu.com.au/_blog/Wellbeing/post/Untangle_the_knot_on_Forget_Me_Knot_Day_Friday_13th_November/
Street Corner
http://www.streetcorner.com.au/home/index.cfm?mycomm=ES
|
