Protecting victims from abusers like Pinky Green

Recent revelations regarding the historical abuse of boys at Tauranga Boys College by a teacher, Pinkerton (Pinky) Green, and its management by the college authorities in the 1980s, have led to yet another examination of societal approaches to the occurrence of sexual abuse.

My personal interest in this revolves around an experience with Green who was actually my form teacher (1960-61). I was a quiet, law-abiding student, but he gleefully caned me for a made-up misdemeanour, which outraged me.

Although caning was common at the time, I am sharing my experience because Green was engaging in this behaviour in the early 1960s, and continued year after year, class after class, boy after boy until his behaviour was discovered in the 1980s.

It was recently revealed to me that a classmate had had a similar event but with the addition of a sexual assault — a grabbing and fondling of genitals — under the guise of “checking development”, followed by the pre-determined caning.

He threatened that boy’s grade, with repercussions to his academic record.

In the dynamics of power and control and the “cycle of violence”, we know that the more repetitions of the cycle, the worse the abuse gets, and the worse the impact on the victim.

In Green’s case, the progressive worsening included sadistic/masochistic and fetishist elements in an increasingly compulsive, addictive cycle. Green had 20 to 25 years to practice and develop the “sophistication” of his abuse.

The first point that emerges from these historical revelations is that abusers can carry out abuse for a long time without being detected, even when in a public location such as a school or workplace.

The abuser does this by being a good risk assessor and a skilful actor who can maintain an acceptable social facade. This includes the ability to lie outrageously, to deny, to minimise, to create confusion, spread false stories, undermine others’ credibility, defuse others’ suspicions and generally use many strategies to evade accountability for their actions.

The main reason long-term sex offenders eventually get caught is that after many repetitions, they can become trapped in their addiction and become “sloppy” in their behaviour. They choose the “wrong” victim, cannot ensure their silence by their usual tactics, take overconfident risks and get discovered, or leave careless evidence.

Disclosure by victims is the key to stopping abusers. It is vital victims can be supported and empowered to have their stories heard and believed. The truth can be difficult to assess but is more likely to come from the victim, regardless of age, rather than the abuser. The legal system needs sensitive, non-adversarial processes to find it.

Secondly, society’s protective mechanisms must be able to protect the vulnerable from abuse. Historically, those of churches, care institutions, schools, creches, etc. have been woefully inadequate at ensuring safety for the people in their care, and they remain sluggish at responding appropriately.

Effective social and legislative structures must be in place to protect child and adult victims and to set up preventive protocols, especially safe places for sensitive disclosures. This should include experienced therapeutic, social work, educational and law enforcement staff who work collaboratively.

Thirdly, at the macro level, many surveys of the epidemiological incidence and prevalence of sexual abuse indicate that up to 20-25 per cent of women and 10-15 per cent of men have experienced events of sexual abuse. The number of abusers caught and identified is small.

Aside from the known under-reporting of abuse events, the legal system may discourage disclosure and there is attrition from complaints being made to police, charges being laid, convictions achieved, and punishments served.

I count myself fortunate to have “only” been subjected to Green’s penchant for caning boys, without understanding at the time that this was his precursor to a more comprehensive, devastating type of abuse.

Thanks are due to the brave young man who may well have saved many more boys from the impact of this repulsive behaviour. However, there is an unknown number of other boys yet to be set free from the effects of this one abuser.

Considering also that many offenders may have only one or two victims in their “career” but others have over a hundred victims, there is much still to be done in establishing robust mechanisms of protection and prevention.