Seventieth in a series; part two of two.

In part one of this article, we began to confront some of the general public's perceptions about child molesters and victims. Many of these assumptions are evident from comments and questions during our sessions of Protecting God's Children®.

Some recent research pointed out the all-encompassing nature of the perceptions and assumptions and provided some insight into how the perpetuation of these views can affect our ability to communicate with victims and to deal powerfully and effectively with accused child molesters in our families and communities.

In addition to the considerations laid out in part one, the following assumptions and perceptions are also present for many adults in society.

Sexual predators are more likely from outside the family. People in the survey believed that a babysitter or some other person outside the family was more likely to commit severe sexual abuse than were parents.[i] This finding was supported by a study from the Department of Health and Human Services and other research.[ii] Research repeatedly tells us that 80-90 percent of sexual abuse is at the hands of people known and trusted by the children and their families.

Sexual abuse is more likely to be heterosexual than homosexual. Although there was a tendency for homosexual abuse to be seen as more traumatic than heterosexual abuse, particularly for males, participants perceive that heterosexual abuse is much more common.[iii]

The participants also believe that male victims of male perpetrators are less likely to speak up - particularly if the perpetrator is a male.[iv] There is a lot of other research that supports the finding that heterosexual abuse is more common than homosexual abuse.[v] Although this has been demonstrated many times in the research, it is sometimes more difficult for the participants in Protecting God's Children sessions to accept because the victims of clergy abuse were primarily young boys between 11 and 17 years of age.

Males are less likely to believe victims complaints - particularly when sexual abuse is involved. Female respondents were more likely to believe victims who speak up. Males were more likely to believe children who made allegations of physical abuse. Men were not so likely to believe allegations of sexual abuse.[vi]

This is an interesting finding that needs more investigation. It could explain why it was so difficult to convince predominantly male law enforcement of the pervasive nature of this problem in our society and why it was so hard for the male leadership of the church to believe that their male colleagues were abusing children.

The perceptions and assumptions in parts one and two of this article certainly color our view of the issue of child sexual abuse in society and in the Church. They affect our reaction to news reports and point to reasons why there are some difficulties in certain areas dealing with allegations of sexual abuse against respected members of the community.

None of us is immune to making assumptions. It is important to note, however, that these perceptions can and do influence treatment, investigations and community responses. Raising our awareness about these perceptions can help us be open to dealing with the situations that arise before us with integrity, compassion and empathy.

When we do that, we open the door to those who are suffering in our midst to speak up and tell us about their pain. That is the beginning of healing.

Footnotes:

[i] Bornstein, B.H., Kaplan, D.L., Perry, A.R., Child abuse in the eyes of the beholder: Lay perceptions of child sexual and physical abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 31 (2007) 383.

[ii] DHHS at Figure 5-3. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm04/chapterthree.htm#sex

[iii] Bornstein at 388.

[iv] Ibid. at 387.

[v] Rudin, M.M., Zalewski, C., & Bodmer-Turner, J. (1995) Characteristics of child sexual abuse victims according to perpetrator gender. Child Abuse and Neglect 19, 963-973.

[vi] Bornstein at 386.

Sharon Womack Doty, Esq., is a child sexual abuse prevention consultant to the VIRTUS programs. This article is the copyrighted property of The National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc. (Copyright @ 1999-2007 by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc., all rights reserved), and is reprinted here with permission. For more information about VIRTUS@Online or other VIRTUS® services, visit www.virtus.org or call (888) 847-8870. This weekly series of feature stories, commentary and analysis is compiled and edited by an advisory group to the Media Relations Office of the Archdiocese, through which the articles are distributed.