A Yellowknife judge has ruled two Northwest Territories men can sue the Northwest Territories government anonymously.

The two men, both known only as John Doe, are launching a lawsuit against the government for harm the say they suffered while in its care. They claim they were repeatedly sexually abused three decades ago at a child welfare centre in Inuvik.

The men want their names to be kept out of court records available to the public. Only their lawyer, the judge and the territorial government will know their real identities.

The names of alleged sexual assault victims are generally written in court documents. But publication bans typically forbid media from publishing them.

In court documents, the men claim they were repeatedly raped and molested as children at an Inuvik child welfare centre from 1989 to 1999. They say the territorial government, which ran the centre, failed to protect them from harm while they were there.

The men haven't said what kind of compensation they will be asking for.

Their lawyer says their case will be filed in the coming months.