It was recently revealed that a group of men aged 18-41 used social media to groom around 140 young girls in order to "ultimately engage in sexual contact with them".
In a shocking revelation, it has been reported that some of the Perth men accused of being part of the paedophile ring met their victims when they were housed together in government care homes.
One of the victims, met her abuser when she was 13 and he was 15 when they were placed in the same residential care home in Perth’s east. She said a year later, in 2018, she was sexually abused by him.
Apparently, staff at the time had brought up concerns about the pair being placed together but “no one listened”. This is despite the fact that the accused had a history of sexual assault and the victim had a history of sexual abuse before coming into care.
A department psychologist had also expressed “concerns” in an email to the home about housing the two together, but extraordinarily said they hoped that the victim - who had been sexually abused since she was three and raped by someone she knew at 12 – would be able to "manage the risk" herself.
The victim was never told about the accused’s past and is disgusted that the department charged with protecting her knowingly put her at risk.
Western Australian MP Nick Goiran expressed his horror over the revelations on social media:
“This latest shocking failure demands answers. Why was a victim of child sex abuse placed in the same home as a known sex offender? And how often does this happen? If the Minister for Child Protection can't answer these questions, then what is the point of even having a Minister?”
We couldn’t agree more. This “shocking failure” should never have occurred and we look forward to answers once police have completed their investigation.
Women’s Forum Australia is an independent think tank that undertakes research, education and public policy advocacy on issues affecting women and girls, with a particular focus on addressing behaviours and practices that are harmful and abusive to them. We are a non-partisan, non-religious, tax-deductible charity. We do not receive any government funding and rely solely on donations to make an impact. Support our work today.
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