Stopping Child Sexual Abuse !

After 444 days of public hearings and 8134 private sessions the Royal Commission on child sex abuse in Australia has handed down its findings. It breathed fresh air into the dark corridors of institutional abuse where paedophilia has run rampant for centuries.

Where this has been brought to the attention of those with decisive power the abuse is usually covered up to protect the good name and reputation of either the church or the institution involved. The accuser is disbelieved, and in many cases severely punished for the crime of making an accusation. The key recommendation is a new law to make it a criminal offence for failing to protect children from sexual abuse. As a part of that law, it would be an offence to not report any accusation of a sexual offence to the police for further investigation. This reporting obligation would include when that person knows, suspects or should have known that sexual abuse was happening within an institution.

This is where the statute of proposed law needs to be specially diligent. It has to be abundantly clear that this reporting obligation is mandatory on all priests and ministers, lawyers, teachers, doctors and hospital workers - in fact on any person who comes into contact with a child who may be suffering sexual persecution. It must be a law that accepts no excuses. Failure to comply comes with the expectation of a severe prison sentence. This Royal Commission has found that the sexual abuse of children seems to be prevalent across the broad spectrum of churches, schools, sporting and dance clubs, the armed services and out of home care services. Everywhere children congregate they are targets for the percentage of paedophiles who form part of the general population. In the past, reputational harm has taken precedence over care of the child.

The Catholic church has come in for special mention because of the prevalence of harm concentrated under its reach. It is suggested that the enforced celibacy of priests may set their sexual attractions into other directions and the Vatican should consider optional celibacy. The other contentious issue is the sanctity of the confessional. It is irrational that a person who confesses child sexual abuse to a priest remains free to reoffend. The law suggests that the confidentiality of the confessional should not pertain in such matters. Both of these issues are deep in the roots of the Catholic church and can only change by a direct order from the Pope.

The Vatican seems reluctant to even sign off on reporting child sex accusations to the police for their investigation and it seems likely that the findings of this Royal Commission will lead to a clash between church and state. That would be unfortunate. The Catholic church is now aware of the lasting shame that has been occurring within its walls and the need for rooting out the silence that has prevailed. Paedophile priests have been simply moved to other parishes, where they have been free to reoffend. This new reporting law would see not only offending priests but the bishops covering their tracks serving prison time. In this modern day and age, that would probably get the approval of the Catholic lay public.

If nothing else, this Royal Commission has dragged the issue of child sexual abuse - kicking and screaming - into the public domain. The cloud of secrecy that covered it - has evaporated. It will never be completely eliminated, but with the right laws in place Australia will be a much safer place for our children !