Sex offenders abused as kids should be compensated, proposal claims

A new proposal has claimed sex offenders who were abused themselves as children should be compensated.

South Australia’s Victims of Crime Commissioner Michael O’Connell has proposed that convicted paedophiles be eligible for their own compensation – meaning they could get paid up to $150,000.

“Redress is not about their crime (as an adult) but rather about their victimisation as children,” O’Connell said in his submission, which was provided to The Advertiser. 

He reportedly claimed the redress cannot be “truly just, fair and equitable” if some victims are ineligible. But do you agree with his view?

Last year, the federal government excluded convicted sex offenders who had been abused themselves from being eligible for compensation. 

According to SBS News, the $4billion redress scheme also excludes anyone jailed for five years or more for crimes such as murder or serious drug and fraud offences. Compensation payments for victims in South Australia are reportedly currently capped at $50,000.

O’Connell made his case in a new submission to the Senate, as he responded directly to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse. He was backed by South Australian Law Society SA President Tim Mellor in his submission, Adelaide Now reports.

He said that while he understands it will be controversial, he urged the public to think it over before passing judgement.

According to the site, The Royal Commission identified 60,000 victims who could be eligible for compensation of up to $150,000.

Meanwhile, it comes after Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced a new government policy last year that prohibits anyone on the child sex offenders registry from international travel.

Read more: Sex offenders banned from international travel

It came after a number of high-profile cases that saw Australian paedophiles travel to South East Asia to abuse young victims.

Independent Senator Derryn Hinch celebrated the news after months of campaigning for the policy change in Canberra. He told Fairfax the move would protect children around the world from “child rape holidays”.

“It would be the best thing I’ve achieved in my time here,” he said at the time, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. “People say what about their civil rights? Well when you rape a child, you lose some of your civil rights, from my point of view.”

Do you agree with the proposal, or think they should remain excluded? 

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