Sunday, May 24, 2009

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN.

24 Bealtaine 2009.


SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN.

This blog has had the sad experience of working with victims of abuse. It is very difficult to describe the suffering of people, now in their adult years, who have been subjected to the evils of sexual, physical or emotional abuse while children.

Most of this occurs in the home. The perpetrators of abuse, particularly sexual abuse of children, in the home are usually fathers, grandfathers or uncles or other older family members. One can only imagine the effect this abuse has on a child. Or on other family members, if they get to know about the abuse. Even if they have not been direct victims themselves. In many cases the truth of childhood abuse only emerges when the victims are grown up, sometimes triggered by flashback or some other remembrance. The effect of all this can be devastating and the victims need support, care, understanding and love. Most of all they need to be believed. Especially when, as is often the case, the abuser denies any wrong doing.

Other abusers include people in positions of trust like clerics, teachers, sports coaches or medical staff. In most cases the perpetrators are men, though this is not always the case. The report chronicles the cruelty suffered by children ‘in care’ at the hands of some nuns.

Many experts believe that sexual abuse of children is about control, and manipulation, though most agree that there is some sense of sexual gratification for the abusers. The victim suffers greviously in many unimagineable ways.

They also learn not to trust anyone. This is entirely understandable given that the abusers are usually iconic figures in a childs life. Or authority figures. Many victims of abuse find it very difficult to get other people to listen to them. Or to believe them. This deepens the feeling of isolation, low self esteem and distrust. In these more ‘enlightened’ times with so much consciousness of child abuse society thankfully is more alert to the dangers faced by our children.

However nothing prepared any of us for the awful revelations contained in this week’s Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Most people are numbed by the detail of appalling cruelty and abuse revealed in this report of the treatment of children in institutionalised care. The report is a shameful tale of abuse against children in institutions over decades. Both the Irish State and Catholic Church are responsible for a litany of crime, beatings, rape, and awful evil conducted by so called holy men and women against the most vulnerable young people in our society.

This blog believes that our concern must be for the survivors of abuse and the memory of those who did not survive. The recommendations of the report must be fully implemented. The Church most accept full responsibility for what occurred. It must pay full compensation to the victims.

This blog has long held the view that the institutionalised Catholic church is undemocratic in many ways. For example women are denied the right to become priests. Church lay members have no say in who their pastors are. Bishops and cardinals are elevated to positions of power and authority for life. Compulsory celibacy is a nonsense and the theology on which it, and other teachings, are based is entirely flawed.

Of course there are good priests and nuns and brothers. But that is not the point. An elitist and unaccountable secretive, male and clerically dominated organisation is by its nature dysfunctional. Especially when much of its credo is based on guilt, social control and suppression. A far cry from the liberating and liberated teachings of Christ.

The Irish establishment also has failed our children. How youngsters were sent by court and other systems, into institutions is, in itself the stuff of nightmares. That may be a thing of the past thanks to the work of brave survivors who lifted the lid on this whole shameful business but the fact is that children are still victims of neglect. They continue to suffer abuse or the danger of abuse.

Child protection services are inadequate. There are not enough social workers or other front line staff in place. In particular after hours social works services are still not in place in the south. The service providers are completely stretched. Even in cases where children could be in danger there are not the resources to make the interventions needed.

We have a lot to do to right this wrong. If we are to really cherish all the children of the nation equally then societal change is needed. A just society needs decency, fairness and equality alongside accountability and transparency. Our children need to be heard. And listened to. And protected.

10 comments:

Kathy Collins said...

Hi Gerry,

When a child is abused...it is a horrific crime--no matter who has abused the child. If someone knows about the crime and covers it up....it also is horrific.

The person who commits the crime of abuse and or cover up should be handed over to civil authorities and there should be a civil trial to see if the person is guilty...and if they are found guilty--they should go to jail...no matter who they are...a priest, bishop, family member or government worker.

Anyone who abuses a child and is found guilty should go to jail. Prisoners do not treat child molesters very well. In Concord Massachusetts a Catholic priest serving jail time was killed by an other immate. The inmate took a mattress put it over the ex-priest and jumped on him until the ex-priest was killed. Convicted Abusers should be jailed.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:6 "But if any of you causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose his faith, it would be better fo you to have a rock tied to your neck and be thrown into the sea."

I find it comforting that Jesus lets those who hurt children know that the abusers will have to pay a price...and it won't be pretty.

Now, Gerry I found your comment that follows,

" This blog has long held the view that the institutionalised Catholic church is undemocratic in many ways. For example women are denied the right to become priests. Church lay members have no say in who their pastors are. Bishops and cardinals are elevated to positions of power and authority for life. Compulsory celibacy is a nonsense and the theology on which it, and other teachings, are based is entirely flawed.

this comment is inappropriate. Whether the Catholic Church is or is not democratic...whether women can or can not be priest...is not the issue. You are on record as not liking the Catholic Church and you used the suffering of these children to take political shots at the Catholic Church. It was neither the time nor the place to link their horrific suffering to your political agenda against the Catholic Church.







This blog has long held the view that the institutionalised Catholic church is undemocratic in many ways. For example women are denied the right to become priests. Church lay members have no say in who their pastors are. Bishops and cardinals are elevated to positions of power and authority for life. Compulsory celibacy is a nonsense and the theology on which it, and other teachings, are based is entirely flawed.

micheal said...

failte, I enjoyed reading your view on this. it's very positive and it is important to be constructive. Most of my efforts to communicate by computer ammount to nothing as i don't really know what I'm doing and it's a miricale that I havn't smashed this laptop yet. keep up the good work Mr. Adams you'd make a good therapist youself. i was a good therapist for two years and then my own unresolved issues came back.Now for the bitter part, tring to send this.

Kate said...

Gerry,
I work with adult victims/survivers of abuse. Many are scarred, while for others it is a lifetime open wound.

Anger, mental health issues,and addictions plague them.

Many have "Kept quiet" for some of the reasons you mentioned i.e. figures in authority and trusted positions.
As you say, listen to the children and believe them, guide and support them...most of all protect them.

The justice system often fails them too,by taking so long to bring perpetrators to trial.

I thank you for shedding light on this topic.

Ta ar la anois

Kate

eEd Feighan said...

Very well said Gerry,there needs to be a big change in the way we let the church raise our orphans. I have always found it difficult to beleive that priests and nuns could be this cruel and sadistic,especially growing up in a normal family with my sister who spent 40 years in the convent.She earn a doctorate in chemistry and became Dean at Immaculata University and was loved by all. Then came the Magdalen Laundries film that exposed the torture and mistreatment by the nuns and church towards these Irish girls and made one think what a disgrace these holy imposters were compaired to my loving sister. So not all nuns and priest are evil but it only took a few to distroy many young lives. E.F

Anonymous said...

It looks like sweet damn little is being done in real terms once again. Just the usual condemnations. The victims were not even allowed in to the meeting when the report was issued. The Guards kept them out.
The Catholic Church needs to close down all these religious orders and sack all the bishops and the cardinal in Ireland.
This is an incredibly ugly legacy of English colonisation and the Irish wish to always replicate everything from England.
When you forego your own native ways and accept the foreigners as always being better, you come up with a criminal state and here are the results.
Nothing has been learned from this.

West-of--the-Bann said...

"When you forego your own native ways and accept the foreigners as always being better..."

As Anonymous is rightly trying to point out when you bin your native ways and bin your native culture and bin your native language, you end up with little children paying the horrific price for the cowardice of those in power.
If Ireland had kept its native language which is the bedrock of all laws and order the liklihood is there would be no Irish paedophiles.

Morais said...

Kathy Collins

Your comments are not fair, in this readers view.

Mr Adams touches on a key point.

The reality is the undemocratic nature of institutions led to many unsuitable individuals entering into positions of authority...the aftermath then sees a wall of silence because of the same undemocratic nature.

The individuals are not the only ones responsible for these evil crimes.

The church is responsible too. For the aftermath and the cover up.

The recent report is not a surprise to Irish society...it is shameful, but not surprising. And for that the church is forever responsible.

Timothy Dougherty said...

Well Gerry, I should comment on this Issues, but let me state I earned a degree in the area of Child Development in the early 70's and went on to earn a few more with my masters in Education Technology. As a young man I was thinking about learning and the problems of teaching and wondering about that subject. Child Abuse was not part of my vocabulary I was thinking about to be a teacher or something else. I spend a few years in the studies of International business and earned a second minor in that area. I see that you can not look separate the world view of past with the political view of today , without a review of what Ireland has gone through. There is no if and or but about the political needs and the social need of the separation of institutions that have proved not to work for the good of a nations children. Change is a strange thing for a nation , it is a national will an need that must be fulfilled. There are many kinds of abuse the abuse of doing nothing is the abuse of political expression that a nation can not afford at any price.
The fact of the Catholic church is open in this area and out of the darkness ,for the Church to move on the political will of the people will have to move up and on. A new Ireland were both a social and political understanding will bring people into a will for change.

Kathy Collins said...

Morais,
I think we agree that to abuse a child is awful and even just one child abused is one too many.

An insitution does not cover up a crime...a person covers up a crime.

I feel that ALL abusers and ALL who covered up the abuse should be prosecuted and if guilty go to jail.

My response to the situation is hunt down the abusers and those who covered it up with ALL avenues.... it is a plan of action. Gerry Adams response is to complain about the democracy of the Catholic Church and the lack of women priest...a plan of complaining.

Seán Mór said...

It seems to be human nature that the majority of us are only designed to raise and care for our own children. Just listen to how some parents talk about other people's weans in everyday conversation. It was a huge mistake to think that other people's children could be horded into these schools/homes etc and would receive appropriate care from a class of people who had taken a vow of celibacy that many of them wrestled with every day of their lives. The results were horrendous, and there certainly has to be a total transformation of the church.

Last week at mass (and I don't go often but our wee girl made her holy communion the day before), for the first time I saw the priest really struggle trying to find the words to talk about this whole issue. Then on monday, he was going to spend the whole day visiting the sick and housebound in the parish. When I thought about him visiting the sick, I also thought we can't let the current necessary focus on the horrible things completely blind us to a lot of the good work that people in the church do.

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