- Published:
- Friday 29 May 2026 at 2:00 pm
On Friday 29 May 2026, I delivered the Forum for Truth and Recognition’s report to the Premier of Victoria.
This report serves as an official public record of victim-survivor experiences of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools and certain non-government schools by relevant employees before 2000.
From October 2025 to March 2026, the Forum invited victim-survivors to come forward and share their experiences. Victim-survivors could choose to meet me for a personalised session, make a submission to the Forum, or both. I invited victim-survivors to speak at their own pace about whatever they felt comfortable sharing and what they thought was meaningful and important to highlight for the public record.
Many victim-survivors spoke about silence — the silence the perpetrator expected them to maintain; the silence around child sexual abuse in family and community conversations; being forced back into silence when their disclosure was met with disbelief or inaction.
Even today, it is still very difficult for victim-survivors to come forward with the confidence their disclosures will be met with compassion and care. The role of the Forum was to contribute to victim-survivors' healing by ensuring their truth was heard, acknowledged, and recorded by an independent body.
This public record puts victim-survivors at the centre. It recognises their truth as well as their strength and resilience in the face of trauma. I hope this report builds a stronger understanding of the significant impacts of child sexual abuse in schools to better prevent and respond to it now and into the future.
I thank all victim-survivors who came forward to contribute to the Forum. I am privileged to have been entrusted with your memories and reflections. I hope that voicing and sharing your experiences, and knowing you have been heard, will support your journey towards healing. I also acknowledge all victim-survivors of child sexual abuse at school. It is my sincere hope that this public record contributes to Victoria’s collective healing and helps make schools a safer place for children.
Yours sincerely,
Angela Connors
Chair of the Forum
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