The first national study of the prevalence of child abuse in religious settings has found that safe ministry and prevention strategies are having an effect, but researchers have called for further investigation.
The study, by a dozen Australian and international experts, has been published in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect. It utilised data from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), which surveyed a large cross-section of society.
“Our study has generated the first nationally representative prevalence estimates for child sexual abuse by a leader or adult in a religious organisation in Australia,” the researchers say.
The experts found that one in 250 people had reported being sexually abused as a child by an adult in a religious organisation.
Men reported significantly higher rates of child sexual abuse by religious perpetrators, and a substantial proportion were in Catholic settings (71.9 per cent). The research also found the prevalence of child sexual abuse in religious organisations had declined over time (2.2 per cent of men aged 65-plus, compared with 0.2 per cent of those aged 16-24).
However, the authors warned these estimates were conservative, as they were “limited to acts perpetrated by adults and do not include acts perpetrated by adolescents, nor acts in other settings with religious affiliations, such as schools and out-of-home care facilities. Accordingly, they under-represent the true overall prevalence of child sexual abuse in religious organisations”.
The study echoes the findings of Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which found victim-survivors take, on average, 23.9 years to disclose abuse perpetrated against them.
“Child sexual abuse by religious perpetrators is a profound violation of the child’s vulnerability, exploiting a tripartite power relationship driven by sexual, organisational and religious power,” the ACMS study authors said. “Collaborative efforts from church leadership and members are essential in fostering a culture of accountability, empathy, and safety.”
The analysis has found “substantial prevalence of sexual abuse in religious settings, and especially in Catholic Church settings, almost exclusively by men, against boys. However, it has also found encouraging evidence of a decline in prevalence”.
The reasons for the latter included extensive prevention efforts, increased social awareness of child sexual abuse, and heightened supervision of children.
The Director of Safe Ministry for the Sydney Diocese, Lachlan Bryant, observed that “the results of the recent study seemed to resonate with what we are seeing in terms of reported cases. This gives us hope and reinforces that our collective efforts across the Diocese are making a difference.
“Continuing vigilance in our safe ministry practices are essential to ensure a continuing positive trajectory.”
For her part, the chaplain of the Office of the Director of Safe Ministry, the Rev Belinda Burn, was encouraged by the findings.
“Over many years now our Diocese has made, and continues to make, tremendous efforts to build cultures and practices of safety in our parishes and ministries,” she said. “Although anecdotally it is becoming more clear these efforts have had a positive impact, it is encouraging to see findings of independent research that indicate there has been a real decline in the incidence of child abuse.
“As we continue to implement strategies to safeguard our churches for children and vulnerable people, I am encouraged to press on in our efforts to ensure our churches are increasingly safe communities for all.”
