When I was 18 my mum brought me to a psychiatrist. When I told her what had happened she thought I was confused. “Now I have a good relationship with my mum, but during my 20s she seemed to downplay it.
I think people need to find the language to talk, at home and in schools, about good and bad intimacy. In many cases, James says, nobody wants to ruin the family image.Ī family member who abuses is always a family member, and how does the family cope with that?” “There’s a lot of focus on priests, rightfully: the abuse and the cover-up were despicable. It creates a perpetual anxiety for the survivor which is hard to put to rest.” “It’s hard for the survivor, for the other siblings, for the extended family. James’s case highlights some stark facts that are not always understood about child abuse. Most abuse is carried out by family members or people known to the victim. Our current image of child sex abusers in Ireland, and our approach to them, may be putting young people at risk.
