Institutional abuse and societal silence: An emerging global problem – The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was announced by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 11 January 2013. Examining how institutions with a responsibility for children ‘have managed and responded to allegations and instances of child sexual abuse and related matters’ (Australian Government, 2013) arguably represents the most wide-ranging attempt by any national government in history to examine the institutional processes (or lack thereof) for addressing such abuse.