No excuse for the vile acts of child sexual assault, ever

I WAS recently on the tram when I picked up a Christian pamphlet listing some of The Ten Commandments (according to the Gospels, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to serve as principles of moral behavior for the human race) and the concomitant punishment by God on those who did not behave morally or sinned; a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

I thought this would be interesting reading given we live in a world in which so many Catholic clergy have been accused of sexual assault. Surely if anything is a sin, sexually abusing children must be? Not so, according to a priest (being interviewed on the radio a few years ago) who was “justifying” the abuse following allegations of child sexual assault. His reasoning was that as it was not one of the Ten Commandments, then it must not be a sin.

The Royal Commission hearing reported that almost 4500 people have made claims of child sexual abuse over the past 35 years. Data gathered shows certain Catholic orders had a high proportion of alleged abusers, including the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and St John of God.

Perhaps all those accused of child sexual abuse have used the same justification as the priest above. As Justice Peter McClennan stated: “These numbers are shocking … they are tragic and they are indefensible. Each entry in this data ... represents a child who suffered at the hands of someone who should have cared for and protected them.”

Back to the pamphlet and the first sin was lying. Surely the priest would go to hell for this. According to the priest, he, like many others, had shared his behaviour with those further up in the Church hierarchy.

His punishment for this heinous act was to be given new parishes with new vulnerable, trusting, loving, innocent children to receive his “special acts of love”. If the priest escapes eternal torment, what torment do the victims of child sexual abuse suffer over their lifetime?

According to CQ University’s Dr Marika Guggisberg, science has started to establish links between so-called ‘adult-child sex’ and neurological impact, physical diseases, and biological processes relevant to mental health and physical health outcomes.

Negative impacts can include reduced brain volumes, adverse brain structures, and impaired neurocognitive functioning, altered biological stress systems, and compromised immune systems.

According to the National Centre for Victims of Crime, other short- and long-term effects of child sexual abuse include; feeling powerless, ashamed, and distrustful of others; sleep disturbances and eating problems.

Longer-term effects may be wide-ranging, including anxietyrelated, self-destructive behaviours such as alcoholism or drug abuse, anxiety attacks, and insomnia. Victims may feel powerless because the abuser has repeatedly violated their body space and acted against their will through coercion and manipulation. Other impacts of abuse include depression, flashbacks, anger, promiscuity or lack of ability to form intimate relationships.

The second sin referred to on the pamphlet was adultery, the ninth commandment. It read “They shall not covet they neighbor’s wife”.

Perhaps it should have read “They shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife, child or baby”. There is no excuse for child abuse. Ever, end of story.