AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au
DR CATHY KEZELMAN, PRESIDENT, ADULTS SURVIVING CHILD ABUSE NEWS.COM.AU SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
AN article, published by news.com.au, about how to recognise a child sex offender sparked controversy.
Dr Cathy Kezelman, president of Adults Surviving Child Abuse, has written the following response, which news.com.au publish in full:
“With the commencement of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse the issue of childhood abuse is being reported, spoken about and thought about far more often than ever before.
Though it is groundbreaking for the Australian society to be more aware of the issue and to have increased conversation about it, it is now more critical than ever before to have accurate reporting from the media about child sexual abuse.
Quite frankly, I was shocked at news.com.au’s piece ‘Could you spot a paedophile?’
The very title evokes fear, as do the images, and it lacked tact and sensitivity.
Although the longstanding stigma and taboo is being eroded – and that is to be welcomed – the challenge for those reporting or speaking about child abuse in the public arena is how to increase community awareness while minimising the risks of re-traumatisation for those affected and secondary traumatisation for members of the community.
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