‘Relief and vindication’
Child sexual abuse advocate Manny Waks' alleged abuser has been arrested in New York City and will now face an extradition process to Melbourne.
Child sexual abuse advocate Manny Waks’ alleged abuser has been arrested in New York City and will now face an extradition process to Melbourne.
Victoria Police informed Waks of the arrest of Velvel Serebryanski which happened on Monday this week.
Waks, who is now the CEO of Voice Against Child Sexual Abuse (VoiCSA), told police in 1996 that Serebryanski, a former member of Melbourne’s ultra-Orthodox community, had abused him when he was a child and calls him his “first sexual abuser”.
Waks said he is “delighted” about the arrest and is “filled with so many feelings and emotions …especially relief and vindication”.
“I’m not sure that I genuinely believed that this day would actually arrive – but I continued to hope and to fight for justice,” he said.
Waks added, “I get the opportunity to finish the final piece in my personal puzzle: to hold to account my first abuser.”
Philip Weinberg, who is on the VoiCSA board of directors told The AJN that VoiCSA “welcomes the arrest of Mr Serebryanski and looks forward to his extradition to Australia to face justice for his alleged crimes”.
“We are particularly pleased for our outgoing CEO and founder, Manny Waks, who has helped countless victims/survivors of child sexual abuse to pursue justice and will now have the opportunity to hold another one of his alleged abusers to account,” Weinberg added.
Both Weinberg and Waks along with the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) encouraged anyone who may have information concerning Serebryanski to contact police.
JCCV president Daniel Aghion said the organisation “expresses its support to victim-survivors of child abuse and urges swift justice in this case”.
“The JCCV continues to emphasise the need for all Jewish community organisations to ensure full compliance with child safeguarding requirements,” Aghion said.
“Organisations needing assistance with these requirements should contact the Jewish child safeguarding organisation, Maoz.”
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