I just read the article http://richarddawkins.net/news_articles/2012/9/8/church-s-suicide-victims#.UE322y7_8Ep.twitter and it made me so sad. I know there are many many people who are trying to get the word out on the devastating effects of child sexual abuse. I appreciate them in their efforts. The reality is that there isn't enough information about the long term effects on someone who has survived sexual abuse out there to the masses yet. This is another story about how the Church has hidden information pertaining to sexual abuses. The suicide rate is higher among survivors of sexual abuse. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/192/4/suicide-and-fatal-drug-overdose-child-sexual-abuse-victims-historical-cohort For the Church to cover this up is just disgusting and hiding this fact plays into the theory that there are no long term effects for someone who has survived sexual abuse.
There are those (especially those who are part of the movement to abolish the sexual offender registry) who honestly believe that there are no long term effects of child sexual abuse. They argue that those of us who share our stories and try to educate on this topic are being perpetual victims. This just isn't so, it's that we know first hand the impact that this terrible epidemic has had on us and we share our stories so others will learn of this impact. There are times when I still get upset over the reality that I suffer long term affects from the trauma I survived, and that I did nothing to cause it (the song Wildflower by Skylark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9bJJNUdXEs has always been able to put in words what this is like for me). It was "adults" who felt that they had the right to take away a child's innocence. It is hard for people who have not survived this (especially the perpetrators themselves) to fathom what it is like to have to deal with the long term effects. I am lucky very lucky that I have had the support in my life that has helped me to get in my life where I am. Unfortunately there are those who don't get the same opportunities I have had. There are those who get into drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with what they have survived. Again I am fortunate as I didn't do this but I certainly got into destructive addictive relationships.
I have been thinking a lot about the reality that the reason a lot (not all) of people as adults who don't know how to be good parents, communicate, love unconditionally, are addicted to drugs, alcohol, have mental health issues, can't hold jobs or are workaholics, etc. is because our rate of child abuse in this country is so high. We don't do near enough to insure that children have stable, happy childhoods. I can tell you that Ruth and Jack (my parents) came from the same type of environment I was raised in. When I traced my family history back four generations every generation has survived a traumatic childhood. Traumatic childhoods reek havoc on a society when these children grow up and don't have the skills to maintain good healthy relationships, etc. I am beginning to believe that schools (from kindergarten on) should be required to teach inter-communication skills, coping skills, anger management, life skills, how words do hurt, etc. I honestly believe that if this were to happen that when these children grew up the rates of addiction would be lessened. The rates of adults repeating the same type of trauma to their children that was done to them would go down. There is no magic bullet I understand that. Still we need to do something as a society to increase the likelihood that inter-generational abuse gets stopped so that we can become a nation that values it's children and wants adults to have the best lives possible. Rosie
Church's suicide victims
CONFIDENTIAL police reports have detailed the suicides of at least 40
people sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Victoria, and have urged a
new inquiry into these and many other deaths suspected to be linked to
abuse in the church.
Rob Walsh, whose cousin Martin, and brothers Noel and Damien committed suicide after being abused. Photo: Paul Rovere Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/churchs-suicide-victims-20120412-1wwox.html#ixzz25tG9yBhA
Written by Detective Sergeant Kevin Carson, the reports state that while conducting lengthy inquiries into paedophile clergy, investigators have discovered "an inordinate number of suicides which appear to be a consequence of sexual offending.
"The number of people contacting this office to report members of their family, people they know, people they went to school with, who have taken their lives is constant. It would appear that an investigation would uncover many more deaths as a consequence of clergy sexual abuse," one of the reports states.
The revelations will increase pressure on Premier Ted Baillieu and state Attorney-General Robert Clark to respond both to the growing calls from victims for a broad inquiry into clergy sexual abuse, and to the February recommendation of Justice Phillip Cummins for a formal inquiry.
The reports by Sergeant Carson were dated September last year and February this year. The most recent report details the "premature deaths of young men in the years following sexual assault by Catholic fraternity".
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