The Australian Catholic Church paid $ 213 million in compensation for 3,666 cases of harassment of 4,445 children who were abused after an investigation into child sexual harassment charges.
Attorney at the Royal Commission conducting the investigation, Gail Furness said in his statement that the payments included compensation, treatment, legal and other costs.
"The experience of the Royal Commission has shown that victims did not report authorities and sexual abuse to institutions where harassment is experienced," said Furness, who said that the incidents of sexual abuse in the churches are not fully reported. Also added, "The total number of cases of sexual harassment for children in Catholic Church institutions in Australia is much more than the claim."
Furness previously reported that around 4,444 children were exposed to sexual exploitation in more than a thousand Catholic institution across Australia between 1980 and 2015, with the average age of victims being 10 for girls and 11 for boys.
Victims of sexual harassment often say that they cannot tell their families even when they are living with their parents and that they do not believe in themselves, usually when their parents tell them that they believe that someone who "dedicates himself to the church cannot do such a thing."
Cardinal George Pell, Australia's most senior Catholic official, said in the past year that the church was making "big mistakes" by not believing children.
The commission investigating allegations of sexual harassment for children in Australia has announced that thousands of people who have been listened to as witnesses have been sexually harassed by Catholic priests for many years.
Founded in 2013, the Royal Commission is investigating allegations of harassment in government agencies and sports organizations, as well as churches in Australia. (ILKHA)
