TOUGHER scrutiny of adults prior to them working with children is needed in order to avoid instances of child sex abuse in the future.
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The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse was told on Monday it had become too common for adults to abuse children, particularly vulnerable children, while in care.
Psychiatrist Carolyn Quadrio said children were not treated with the level of care and security they deserved, adding a historic belief system based around having “good people” working within institutions was not enough.
“I think religious institutions have suffered from the past from feeling that if we just put good people in charge then nothing bad will happen,” associate professor Quadrio said.
“I mean, we have massive security in banks and that’s not because we think all the people who work in banks are bad people.
“We just know that human nature being what it is, we’ve got to keep the money secure. We don’t treat children with the same level, you know, we’ve got to keep them secure.
“We do have the assumption that all these (are) nice, good people and put them in charge and everything will be OK ... (but) wouldn’t dream of running a bank like that.”
The University of New South Wales associate professor said adults were prone to abusing children, with tougher screening processes needed.
“You’ve got to realise ... children are vulnerable to abuse by caretakers, and in institutions they’re far more vulnerable, so they need to think about having an approach to screening people and keeping transparency in the way the place operates and an environment where the children are free to complain, to be listened to if they have any problems and not to have authority where you ‘shut up and do as you’re told’ or don’t complain,” she said.
“Children need to have their voices heard and have sympathetic people who will listen to them, and we just have to keep that level of reality testing, that adults are prone to abuse children in their care, so we have to have scrutiny of these institutions.”
patrick.byrne@fairfaxmedia.com.au