Wishful thinking won't stop 'epidemic' of child sexual abuse

Training professionals who deal with children in how to spot the signs and address child sexual abuse would change outcomes for many

Georgina Tuohey whose two sons were raped and whose daughter was sexually abused by Brendan Cornally. Photo: Moya Nolan

Last month, the Irish Examiner reported on the sexual abuse perpetrated by Brendan Cornally on his ex-girlfriend's three children.

Georgina Tuohey's two sons were raped and her daughter was sexually abused by the boxing coach, who groomed her before abusing them. One of her sons, who is autistic, has been left in a catatonic state by the trauma of the abuse. Ms Tuohey appealed Cornally's five-and-a-half-year sentence, to no avail.

After Cornally's conviction, she described “an epidemic of child sexual abuse in this country”.  According to the CSO’s most recent Sexual Violence Survey, 40% of 18- to 24-year-olds were victims of sexual violence as children. Girls are more likely than boys to be sexually abused, and perpetrators are most likely to be male. These are recent events; they did not take place in some long-ago black and white Ireland.

Uncomfortable as it may make some, these facts alone frame child sexual abuse as a problem of male violence, which means that men bear responsibility for fixing the problem. That doesn’t mean telling women what to do to protect ourselves and our children. 

It means taking responsibility for the fact that the people we need to protect ourselves and them from are almost exclusively men. It means examining your attitudes to women, sex, your understanding of what sexual violence is, and the men you hold in high esteem.

We live in a patriarchal society. As a result, our official systems were designed by privileged white men to further privilege privileged white men. If there existed a will to do so, these systems could be changed.     

The Church

One of the most patriarchal institutions in Ireland is the Roman Catholic Church. Given that every line of Bunreacht na hÉireann was submitted to the Archbishop of Dublin for his approval, the Church is part of our cultural DNA – whether we like it or not.  

Our State is still so enmeshed with the Roman Catholic Church that they are like conjoined twins. Nearly half of Irish secondary schools, and 88.5% of Irish primary schools, are Church-run. 

While the number of people regularly attending Mass has fallen, most Irish parents still insist their children are presented for Baptism, First Confession, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation. One of the main messages children receive from the Church is that they are sinners.

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A church that makes a child believe they are "bad", primes that child for abuse, because child sex abusers also tell children they are "bad", and that the abuse is the child’s fault. This can form a subtle part of grooming the child - which may start with something as simple as sharing "dirty" jokes with the child. 

It's important to remember that abusers don’t just groom children, they groom whole families, and sometimes entire communities. Presenting as kind, trustworthy, and considerate, they maintain access to children.

Family members

We see this in the other institutions where powerful figures have sexually abused children – swimming coaches, teachers, and scout leaders. These abusers all had access to, and were trusted to be around, children. Family members also have access to children, and are trusted to be around them. 

Statistics collated by Rape Crisis Ireland inform us that, of their clients who were sexually abused before they were 18, 54% were sexually abused by a family member. Our efforts to prevent sexual abuse, though, focus on “stranger danger”.   

Teachers, for example, are told to be alert to any changes in a child’s behaviour, as this might signal abuse is taking place. If a child is being abused in the home before they even start school – like I was – then there will be no behavioural changes, because abuse is our “normal”.

My experience of childhood sexual abuse by multiple family members and my subsequent academic research in the area has led me to develop trauma informed training for professionals who work in this area. 

Trauma informed training

I was let down by so many, so many times. And unfortunately, because there is - still - no appropriate training for those professionals, children today are still being let down.

None of the teacher-training colleges or school principals I approached was interested in offering programmes in the identification of the signs of child sexual abuse, how to deal with the disclosure of it, or what the long-term effects of child sexual abuse are.

When contacted, the company offering the 'Stay Safe Programme' did not wish to incorporate a piece on how teachers can deal with disclosure, either. While doctors, nurses, midwives, and medical students believe it should be part of their curricula, most of the colleges where they study omit this information.  

The judicial system also refuses training related to the trauma of sexual violence, and how it affects victims. The system is not victim-focused.  Memorably, my own lawyer went up and down the corridors of the High Court giving legal advice to my brother (who was on civil trial for sexually abusing me) because he “felt sorry for him”.

The appalling treatment victims receive in Irish courts, and the lenient sentences for sexual violence deter survivors from reporting these crimes, while doing nothing to deter anyone from committing them.  Few jurisdictions are any better, but that doesn’t excuse us from striving to improve.    

Georgina Tuohey has described 'an epidemic of child sexual abuse in this country'. Photo: Moya Nolan

Tusla also needs to focus on improving how it deals with reports of child sexual abuse. Currently, their social workers decide if an allegation of sexual abuse is “founded” or “unfounded”.  If the social worker decides the allegation is “unfounded”, no further action is taken. 

Without a social worker “validating” a child’s claim, accessing State supports can be very difficult.   

There are two major concerns around the determination of an allegation being “founded” or “unfounded”.  The first is that Tusla does not reveal how it defines “founded” or “unfounded”.  The second is that Tusla’s social workers do not receive specialised training in determining if child sexual abuse has taken place. 

According to Tusla, their social workers decide “on the balance of probabilities” and the testimonies of any witnesses.  This is rather perplexing because child sexual abuse happens in secret, there are very rarely eye-witnesses, and abusers are skilled manipulators. 

What this means is a social worker with no specialist training in the evaluation of allegations of child sexual abuse offers an opinion they are not qualified to give on whether or not a child has been sexually abused.   

My own research indicates that an awareness of mandatory reporting has encouraged older children and teenagers to disclose at school – usually because the abusers are family members and disclosure at home will not result in the abuse stopping.

Georgina Tuohey was unsuccessful in her appeal against Cornally's five-and-a-half-year sentence. Photo: Moya Nolan

Mandatory reporting is a step forward, but without training them on how to deal with disclosure, teachers and other professionals are ill-equipped to do more than fill out the form. 

At a minimum, they should be made aware of what to say, what not to say, how to spot when a child is disclosing indirectly, how to guard their own mental health if they have histories of abuse, and where to find support for their own reactions to disclosure.

Currently, Trauma Recovery is the only organisation in Ireland offering this training.

• Hazel Katherine Larkin has completed degrees in Psychology & Sociology, Sexuality, and Law. Her PhD explored child sexual abuse and intergenerational trauma. She offers support and training via her website, traumarecovery.ie. Her latest book, Body of Evidence, explores child abuse and its impact on the physical body