Silence, Secrecy and Power

Abstract

Religious groups represented over 60% of all institutions appearing before the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. This indicates that there are specific issues pertinent to the institutional cultures and structures of religious groups with regard to the sexual abuse of children. This warrants close investigation and analysis by scholars of religion. The article provides the background and context to the establishment of the Royal Commission, and an overview of the Commission's methodology and its investigation into religious organisations, as well as an analysis of the outcomes of that investigation via the Final Report. The report includes 57 specific recommendations for religious institutions, which, when closely considered, will constitute formidable challenges for faith traditions in transforming institutional culture while conforming to child safety standards. It is argued that the success of the Royal Commission is due to a multiplicity of factors including the outcomes of previous inquiries, the improved status of survivor testimony, and the innovative methodology employed to investigate organisations.

Educators’ hands are tied: The impact of heteronormative and cisnormative discourses on students in faith-based schools in Australia

“…The Christian churches have an extremely poor record on the prevention of harm to young people in their care, as is evidenced by the Australian Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse (Wright et al, 2017). Key to the failures of the churches was prioritising institutional power and the protection of privilege, instead of listening to the voices of young people who experienced profound trauma (McPhillips, 2018). The data discussed in this article suggests there are some similarities in the conservative Christian attempt to impose harmful discriminatory practices and attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people in Christian schools.…”

Introduction

“…The outcomes of these inquiries have been extremely effective in detailing the prevalence and types of violence as well as the specific institutional mechanisms which embedded cultures of gendered violence in everyday religious practices (Salter, 2018). Inquiries and associated research have revealed the devastating impacts of abuse on victims/survivors (Blakemore, Hirte, et al, 2017) and in particular drawn attention to the ongoing sexual physical and psychological abuse against children in religious communities for much of the twentieth century (McPhillips, 2018). More recent research is demonstrating that the abuse of children in larger Christian groups was organised in networks between (mostly) clerical perpetrators and Church leaders and carefully managed to avoid public scrutiny and police detection (Death, 2018).…”

Religion after the Royal Commission: Challenges to Religion–State Relations

“…The tragic impact of abuse for individuals and through them our entire society demands nothing less. (Australian Government 2017b, p. 4) The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse 1 (2012-2017) was the longest, largest, and highest funded public inquiry into historical institutional child sexual abuse in Australian history (McPhillips 2018a). It is acknowledged as a global landmark inquiry into child sexual abuse and 'laid bare the sobering reality of institutional child sexual abuse and its profoundly negative impact on individuals, families and communities' (Wright et al 2017, p. 1).…”