The Catholic Church's handling of child sex abuse is in some ways worse than the actual abuse, a Ballarat victim says.
The victim, known as BAV, told the child abuse royal commission there is not enough support and understanding for victims, with men abused as children at Catholic institutions still committing suicide.
"I believe the church's handling of the abuse has in some ways been worse than the initial sexual abuse that occurred," the commission heard in Ballarat on Wednesday.
"The abuse might be historical but suicides by victims of sexual assault are still going and is still happening."
BAV was abused by convicted pedophiles Father Gerald Francis Ridsdale and Brother Robert Charles Best.
Two brothers and a cousin committed suicide after they were also abused, he said.
BAV said five men in his class at Ballarat's St Alipius primary school had committed suicide and he knew of an additional nine men who went to the school who had also died.
"I have been and continue to be impacted by the grief and loss of losing other victims of Brother Best to suicide, some of them were my family, brothers and cousins."
BAV said he knew of other survivors in Ballarat who had issues with alcohol and drug abuse and depression.
"I believe there is not enough understanding of the impact of child sexual abuse and there is inadequate support and services provided to victims of child sexual assault."
He said there should be compensation or some form of pension paid to victims of child sexual assault.
BAV said on one occasion, after Ridsdale has abused him in a bedroom at the presbytery, the other priest who lived there - now Cardinal George Pell - arrived home.
"I saw the back of Father Pell but did not know if he saw me and Father Ridsdale or not."
'Horror rooms and dungeons'
Gordon Hill, 72, told the commission he was sexually and physically abused at Ballarat's St Joseph's Home in what he called horror rooms and dungeons.
He said he was subjected to electric shock therapy when the nuns wanted to find out if he had told anyone of his abuse, after he was found in a local hospital.
"It was like some sort of electric shock therapy," he said after travelling 3000km from Western Australia to read his statement to the commission hearing in Ballarat.
"They wanted to know what I had told them at the hospital."
Mr Hill said the nuns at the home would thrash him and he was abused by three priests, including by one in a confessional box while parishioners gave their confessions.
"If I made a noise as I was sitting beneath the priest's bench in the confessional box he would whack me across the face to shut me up," Mr Hill said.
"If any Catholics had known what was going on they would have been horrified."
A lawyer for the Sisters of Nazareth, who administered St Joseph's Home, said they had only recently received his statement and Mr Hill had so far chosen not to contact the sisters.
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.
