Child sexual abuse claims mount against WA youth detention system
Former detainees are suing the WA government. They say staff sexually abused them at youth detention centres.
Chamberlains Law Firm is handling cases from former detainees at Western Australian youth detention centres who say they were sexually abused by staff. One man, now in his 30s, says he was raped by a youth justice officer at Rangeview when he was 12.
The officer had promised to protect him. Twenty-two cases involve alleged sexual abuse in WA detention.
Nine of the people claiming abuse are First Nations. The abuse happened at multiple facilities including Rangeview, which closed in 2012.
The WA government has offered about $75,000 to settle cases. Lawyers say getting government records has been hard.
The process felt deliberately obstructive.
- 9 of the 22 cases
- First Nations claimants
- About $75,000 per case
- Settlement offer
- Allegations from 1986 through to 2016
- Time span
Why it mattersFormer detainees want accountability. Institutions failed to protect children in state care.
AustraliaWA government faces multiple legal claims for historical sexual abuse of children in its detention system, with serious implications for duty of care.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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