Institutional leaders enable CSA when they disbelieve or deny reports of CSA, are dismissive of the harms, deflect criticism and otherwise obfuscate to prevent the truth from being revealed. They prioritise institutional, reputational, professional and/or personal interests over their duty of care to children.

Enablers:

• Are wilfully blind to reports of CSA
• Obstruct investigations
• Avoid accountability
• Tend to objectify victims (in this way they are similar to paedophiles)
• Justify cover-ups through false narratives
• Use cover-ups as their go-to response when CSA is reported
• Intimidate staff to go along with cover-ups
• Co-opt others to support cover-ups

I have observed enablers firsthand and suffered the consequences when advocating for the victims of sexualised violence in the health sector. I was astonished at the time to find fellow Hospital Executives willing to ‘shield’ a senior doctor who was monstering young women in his Department while undertaking experimental procedures on his patients. This doctor routinely threatened to kill colleagues acting out how he would do so.  Siding with this Doctor while at the same time actively silencing his victims revealed to me that there are those in management who will actively enable violent sexual predators rather than discharge their professional and moral duty of care to vulnerable people. It was no surprise to me that this same hospital went on to ignore the reality that a known paedophile worked on the Children’s Ward for almost two decades.

Key takeaway 1:  The tolerance of child sexual abuse is the very worst manifestation of an institution with a toxic culture where all manner of other corruption exists.

Key takeaway 2:  Failure to protect a child is a criminal offence in most Australian States and Territories, including Tasmania.