Institutional perspectives on Child Sexual Abuse in Christian Institutions

• In Event: Community and Institutional Responses to Sexual Offending

Abstract

Child sexual abuse (CSA) by Personnel in Christian Institutions (PICIs) has now been widely studied, critiqued and subjected to government inquiry internationally. In Australia there have been three formal government inquiries into institutional responses to CSA. Although these inquiries did not focus solely on Christian institutions, these inquiries did apply substantial time and effort to the exploration of responses to CSA in Christian Institutions. Drawing on submissions and hearing transcripts,this paper explores the responses of Christian Institutions to government inquiries. Discourses of power within state and non-state institutions are discussed as a central theme in these responses. This paper furthers discussion which seeks to understand CSA by PICIs within the framework of white collar crime.

Author

• Jodi Death, Queensland University of Technology