As the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse gets under way, many survivors, relatives and others who have suffered at the hands of these monsters will be asked to share their histories.

Ballarat has been the focus of the attention in the past few days.

The city was home to some of the most notorious paedophiles the country has seen. It would be fair to say that Ballarat has been left with deep and lasting wounds through two generations as a result of abuse at the hands of mainly Catholic clergy.

The royal commission has been working with the Ballarat community over the past 18 months, meeting community leaders, health and support services, politicians and advocates as well as abuse survivors and their families.

Commission representatives have already heard harrowing tales of the huge social and mental health issues for survivors as well as large numbers of reported suicide and premature deaths.

Lesser-known impacts on the community include the neglect and shunning of victims by their own families and the institutions in which they suffered abuse, a loss of faith and connectedness with the Catholic church and its communities and a loss of community cohesion.

Survivors of abuse find it difficult to sustain relationships, find employment or live normal lives. Common themes include feelings of guilt and humiliation, under achievement, loss of potential, struggles with alcohol or substance abuse, disruptive behaviour, learning difficulties and poverty.

For some, this commission will help with the recovery process but for most it will do nothing to heal the scars they have lived with for the past 30 years.

Decent, law-abiding Catholics have been shamed by their church and it is up to the institution’s leaders to rebuild from within and restore the trust.

It will take a long time and there is no guarantee that such a monumental challenge can be met.