Some of Australia’s worst-offending pedophiles could soon receive substantial compensation because they, too, suffered sexual abuse as children.
A new proposal put forward by Victims of Crime Commissioner Michael O'Connell could give convicted pedophiles payouts of up to $150,000. Because compensation is to come out of a single pool of $4 billion as part of a national redress scheme for institutional child sexual abuse victims, there would be less money available for abuse victims who did not go on to abuse.
O'Connell defends the legislative thrust, saying that all victims of sex offenses that they suffered as children should be eligible, including those who later committed similar crimes.“Redress is not about their crime (as an adult) but rather about their victimisation as children,’’ O’Connell stated, according to The Advertiser.
