To relax would be ‘a profound error which would compound the historical failures’, conference hears
A Catholic
bishop has said that ignorance about the effects of child abuse in the past
compounded its harmful effects on the lives of many young and vulnerable
people.
“People
of my generation began our adult lives with almost no awareness of the
pervasiveness and impact of abuse in our society and in all societies,”
Catholic Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy said.
“As
a consequence, failure to recognise and respond appropriately to the complex
issues which abuse presents, has at times compounded the profound and harmful
impact on the lives of many young and vulnerable persons,” he said.
“In
recent weeks, millions have joined the social media conversation using the
hashtag #MeToo, or its equivalent, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram;
women and men denouncing harmful sexual experiences. Many are revealing for the
first time, via social media, their own stories. While the majority of those
sharing #MeToo stories are adult women, a large number of the shared stories
reveal sexual abuse that began when they were still minors,” he said.
Initially,
in trying to tackle abuse issues in the past, “we began speaking about child
protection. Today we speak instead of safeguarding, because safeguarding is a
concept that reaches beyond protection, responding not only to problems which
have occurred but incorporates the prevention of harm and the promotion of
welfare.
“Safeguarding
also extends beyond children to include people of all ages and abilities who
may have vulnerabilities which expose them to a risk of abuse,” he said.
Collaboration
Bishop Leahy was speaking at Mary Immaculate
College in Limerick at a conference on “Building Collaboration
in Safeguarding” organised by Limerick diocese in association with An Garda Síochána,
Tusla and the HSE.
Attendees included representatives from
statutory, voluntary and educational sectors, as well as various faith
organisations.
“The greatest danger for us is that we
might relax and believe that the worst is in some way behind us. To take this
view would be a profound error which would compound the historical failures,”
he said.
“Sometimes, however, it seems as if all
of us, all of society, can want to simplify this issue and move on. To stay
with an awareness of the pervasiveness of abuse and those dark parts of our
human nature and the tendency to exploit weakness and vulnerability, may be
almost too much,” he said.
From his own meetings with victims he
was critically aware of its impact “on all dimensions of their lives and there
are no quick or simple solutions to what are sometimes their lifelong
struggles. I am also very conscious of the strain on people working in
voluntary organisations as they struggle with what at times seem to be enormous
limitations on resources.”
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