On Monday, Cricket Australia apologised to those who had experienced child sex abuse and urged further action to address the ‘appalling scourge’ in the nation’s sport. A reparation programme for victims of institutional child sexual abuse has been embraced by the sport’s governing body, but Cricket Australia chairman Lachlan Henderson urged state organisations to join as well. The issue of historical child sex abuse is one that society and many sports, including cricket, are currently addressing, according to Henderson.
Although we must assist victims in every manner we can, we are powerless to undo what has already occurred.
‘I want to apologise to anyone who has endured sexual abuse while playing in Australian Cricket on behalf of CA.’
An ex-junior cricketer sued Cricket Australia earlier this year over claims of mistreatment sustained during an under-19 tour of India and Sri Lanka in 1985.
Separately, former state cricketer Ian King was sentenced to prison in 2009 for sexually abusing young athletes while serving as a coach in the 1980s and 1990s.
Australia’s National Redress Scheme was established to assist and pay victims after a government investigation revealed horrifying accounts of historical child sexual abuse in numerous institutions.
However, the programme depends on organisations signing up freely, something that the majority of Cricket Australia’s state-based organisations have not yet done.
The CA board is currently looking into additional ways that Australian Cricket can help abuse victims, according to Henderson. ‘We are encouraging all states and territories to join the National Redress Scheme,’ Henderson said.
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