Clerical sex abuse involves 'tiny' minority

CLERICAL SEXUAL abuse needs to be reported on in correct proportion
to the “tiny” minority of the population affected, delegates at a child
protection lecture heard yesterday.

Addressing media coverage of
child protection services, Dr Helen Buckley, senior lecturer in the
school of social work and social policy in Trinity College Dublin, said
serious scandals such as that in the Catholic diocese of Cloyne
attracted huge media focus disproportionate to child sex abuse cases in
general.

“A lot of the [media] activity in the past few months
concerns Cloyne, and while it is very serious, it’s quite tiny,” Dr
Buckley said.

“I feel there’s a danger because clerical sex abuse
touches such a nerve in this country, and the [child protection] system
could become skewed. It needs to be seen in proportion,” she said.

Recently
appointed to the Health Service Executive’s advisory committee on
children and family services, Dr Buckley voiced concern at the proposed
introduction of mandatory reporting of cases of child abuse.

“People
need to be trained to know what is to be reported. I’m not sure the
politics of this recognises the unintended outcomes it might bring. [The
Government] needs to think out precisely how that will be handled so it
works properly to protect children.”

Dr Buckley delivered her
lecture at the first open day at Bessborough Care Centre, Blackrock, in
Cork, which offers services for pregnant women and mothers in crisis. Up
to 120 social workers, health professionals and members of the public
attended the lecture.

The centre focuses on keeping children safe and empowering women, children and families to improve their quality of life.

Dr
Buckley said there needed to be a “public articulation of commitment”
to care for children in society, as Irish people tended not to challenge
parents or strangers when they saw a child placed in a vulnerable
position.

Reform of the child protection system was imminent and
wel- come, she said, but the system would never have enough capacity. 

“It’s not just a question of resources, it’s about what is right for
children and families. It’s not right to take a child from a family
unless absolutely necessary.”

Opportunities for the provision of
more inclusive child protection already exist and need to be utilised,
Dr Buckley told delegates.

“Resources should be put into schools to help children there. In Ireland we are not good at making the most of our resources.”

The executive said yesterday it was appointing an additional counsellor in Donegal for adults with a history of childhood abuse.

It
said it was responding to concerns and distress following revelations
in the case of Michael Ferry, who was recently jailed for 14 years for
child sex abuse.

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