Hundreds of white balloons have been dotted across Maitland as the Catholic Church confirms its commitment to raising awareness of child abuse.
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The balloons will be publicly displayed across 56 schools on Friday in honour of National Protection Week, also signifying the importance of empowering survivors to break their silence.
“We have a huge obligation to make sure our children are protected and it’s fundamentally important we let people know schools are a safe place for children,” principal of St Joseph’s Primary School, East Maitland, Anthony Weir said.
“The other reason we need to do this is to acknowledge that child abuse is part of this diocese’s history. We have a vulnerable group of people here and what we need to learn is to be much more alert and to keep our eyes open.
“White Balloon Day needs to continue as a regular reminder and not ever let it fall out of our consciousness.”
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has also created a survey focusing on what makes children feel safe in institutions.
Titled the Australian Survey for Kids and Young People, the survey is open to teenagers between 15 and 18 years and asks their views on children and young people’s perceptions and understanding of safety in institutional contexts.
Thousands of virtual balloons will also be released into a digital sky to celebrate White Balloon Day at whiteballoonday.com.au
