"Victims of Abuses" Never at Fault

By Luke Rawalai
Fiji Times
April 20, 2015

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=302675

Participants of the Strategic Communication Skills workshop in Labasa discuss abuse trauma cases on Friday last week. Picture: Luke Rawalai

VICTIMS of abuses are never responsible for what happens to them as such unspeakable acts are the fault of the perpetrator, says Australian author and social worker Doctor Marian Zaunbrecher.

Dr Zaunbrecher, who is also a reverend, said victims of any form of abuse had the right to be angry at their perpetrators.

She said for abuse to stop, women, children and men needed to be educated and told that they had a right to their own body.

"Also, they have the right to say no and not feel responsible for the abuse that they face because it is the problem of the perpetrator," she said.

"It is the perpetrator that needs help besides the victim.

"The more we can help communities and people on recognising the issue and concerns, the more we help to overcome these issues in society."

Speaking of a book that she co-authored in 1991 titled From Victims to Survivor, Dr Zaunbrecher said the book portrayed the experience of victims of sexual abuse in the church and in homes in Australia.

"The book was published in 1991 describing the painful experiences of victims in the '80s as stories of sexual abuse started to rise in families in churches in Australia," she said.

"The church responded by listening and it also drew up a code of ethics for ministers and for all church leaders and the code required us to have professional supervision.

"It required certain behaviours from us and every year, we had to attend training as it was necessary for us to remember the professional boundaries that leaders have to establish and that we cannot act inappropriately to vulnerable people."

Dr Zaunbrecher said education was the key factor in addressing such issues.

"Education is important for both the perpetrators and the victim on the fact that they have the right to say no," she said.

"No matter what profession a man is in or what the background of the relationship we have, we all have the right to say no."