Royal Commission an Excuse for Some to Trash the Catholic Church
By Alexander Downer
HEINOUS crimes such as paedophilia have devastating consequences that last a lifetime, writes Alexander Downer. One thing we can all universally abhor is paedophilia. For most people such disgusting behaviour is unimaginable. But like murder and other forms of brutality, it always seems to be with us. Somewhere, there's a paedophile out there. The consequences for the victims and hence society can be horrific. According to a study by America's National Institute of Justice, abused and neglected children are 11 times more likely to be arrested for criminal behaviour as a juvenile, and 2.7 times more likely to be arrested for violent and criminal behaviour as an adult. Studies have found abused and neglected children to be at least 25 per cent more likely to experience problems such as delinquency, teen pregnancy, low academic achievement, drug use and mental-health issues. And to add to the litany of depressing data, research consistently shows abused and neglected children are more likely to smoke cigarettes, abuse alcohol or take illicit drugs during their lifetimes. According to a report from the American National Institute on Drug Abuse, as many as two-thirds of people in drug treatment programs reported being abused aschildren. It seems that the abuse of children can lead to a cycle of abuse. Abusive parents often have experienced abuse during their own childhoods. It is estimated that approximately one-third of abused and neglected children will eventually victimise their own children. No one can be sure of the accuracy of these sorts of studies. And these are American studies, so there may be variations in Australia, though I somehow doubt it. The point is a simple one. Sexual abuse of children as well as other forms of abuse is not only in and of itself unimaginably disgusting but also scars many of the victims for life. Or to put it another way, abuse of children is at the heart of many of our serious social problems. We tend to respond to the social consequences of childhood abuse in a couple of ways. First, the victims can get access to our welfare system. Not too many people, if they think about it, would resent that. And second, if crimes are committed, we send the criminals to jail. I know you all admire being tough on law and order. Mike Rann made it a centrepiece of his premiership. And for the victims of crime, the fact that the criminal had a tough childhood is a secondary consideration. It's no excuse. Maybe. But the question is, are we doing enough to address the causes of this behaviour rather than the consequences? Are we doing enough to address the problems of bad parenting and abuse of children in the care of others such as schools and youth institutions? One thing I have found surprising is that few new parents ever seek advice on how to bring up their children. It is an issue of the utmost sensitivity. Proffer advice to someone about how they are looking after their children and expect a fusillade of abuse. I find that a little odd. We accept that education is one of the foundations of our society, that learning makes us better equipped to deal with the world. But when it comes to the most challenging and important of all of our activities parenting we make it up as we go along. And if someone tries to teach us or warn us, we just get mad. Parenting techniques and priorities seem to be passed down within families. That's fine if the families are loving, caring and effective guardians of children. But what if they are not? Then that pattern of poor parenting is passed down through the generations. Mind you, I'm no fan of the nanny state. I'm not sure a bunch of politicians and public servants would be any the wiser about parenthood than the rest of the community. But prospective parents should be encouraged to get parenting education and new parents should look for parental rolemodels. Some time ago, the State Government set up Parenting SA which runs a series of courses on parenting all over the state. I'm told only a small minority of parents use it, but it's a start. And there are other organisations like Relationships Australia which also run courses. My wife and I went to classes when we first had children. So did my daughter. But millions don't. Which brings us to the initiative of the Federal Government to establish a royal commission into the sexual abuse of children. Of course, it sounds like a good idea, but I wonder what it will achieve. A royal commission isn't a court so expectations shouldn't be set too high. It won't convict anyone. Nor will it pay compensation. And what is more, it will last for years. The Irish equivalent lasted nine years. Finally, royal commissions can be used to make allegations with impunity. Make no mistake; they can be abused by people who want to make vexatious complaints. It's a huge risk. I remain to be convinced that this royal commission will be the crucial vehicle for change. Although the this will be a broad-ranging inquiry not confined to any church or institution, the Catholic Church has been singled out in public commentary, letters to the editor and so on. It's been an excuse for atheists to let loose against Christianity and sectarians to attack the church's beliefs and traditions. Sure, there have been paedophiles in the Catholic Church. But two weeks ago there was a scandal in an Adelaide school about why the then education minister and now Premier or his office didn't pass on to parents information about a paedophile in a public school's out-of-school-hours care. And I know of an Anglican church in SA where sexual abuse of children occurred. So let's just cut out the trashing of the whole of the Catholic Church. That's just dividing society. Anti-Catholicism was rife in Australia in the first half of the last century. And it is rife still in Northern Ireland. Instead, all institutions, secular and religious, need to do better at fighting child abuse. Alexander Downer was foreign affairs minister in the Howard government from 1996 to 2007
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