Last week, a devastating investigation revealed that an estimated 216,000 children have been sexually abused by French clergy since 1950. When taking into account child victims abused by nonclergy lay people associated with the Catholic Church, including school staff and organizers of youth movements, this estimate is closer to 330,000.
Most of the victims were boys between the ages of 10 and 13. According to Jean-Marc Sauve, president of the commission authoring the report, the church showed a “cruel indifference” toward victims; for years, they were not listened to, or it was believed they contributed to their abuse.
Based on my previous experience working with sexual predators, pedophilia (sexual interest in prepubescent children) and hebephilia (sexual interest in children who have just begun puberty) likely explain this behavior. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 13 boys and 1 in 4 girls have experienced childhood sexual abuse.
These offenses tend to cluster around institutions such as churches because they grant unsupervised access to children. As well, mandated celibacy can attract individuals hoping to be cured of unwanted sexual preferences.
Sexual abusers are cunning and especially adept at manipulating parents. They will find seemingly innocent ways to justify time alone with a child.
Every child is at risk. But because parents tend to be more protective of daughters, ingraining in them a greater sense of vigilance, sons are often more easily exploited. Red flags include sudden changes in a child’s personality and aggressive behavior.
Due to the widespread prevalence of this abuse, it is likely that one, or several, people in your life have experienced victimization. If a loved one discloses that they were sexually abused as a child, let them know you are there to listen. If they don’t feel ready to discuss it, resist pressuring them. Emphasize that nothing has changed regarding the way you view them. Above all else, encourage them to seek professional support.
These findings echo another investigation from recent memory that brought to light the fact that thousands of children were sexually abused by hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania. I don’t doubt that another, similarly shocking and revelatory case will be unearthed months or years from now.
Despite this, many parents continue to overlook warning signs, preferring to believe that such a thing could never happen to their child. We mustn’t allow for these highly publicized cases to be in vain, willfully choosing ignorance for the sake of comfort.
Dr. Debra Soh is a sex neuroscientist, the host of The Dr. Debra Soh Podcast, and the author of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.
