Kavanaugh and Sexual Abuse.

Posted on by Opher

In terms of the sexual abuse situation. I can see both sides. Some women, for various reasons, do make false accusations. That is true.

But women have been abused for centuries by men like Bret Kavanaugh.

It has been going on through society. Powerful men have abused their situation. Abusive men have systematically abused with impunity. It was swept under the carpet and even seen as the norm. Abused women were ignored, not believed and even blamed for the abuse they suffered.

That has hopefully changed. Abuse should never be swept under the carpet.

Each case of abuse should be investigated. Each report of abuse should be listened to. IMO this has to be carried out sensitively. I do not say that the people claiming to have been abused should be completely believed. I think there should be a climate in which they are believed and listened to but in which there is the possibility that it is not true.

I also believe that the person accused should be innocent until proven guilty. For people to be dragged through courts without any evidence is simply wrong.

I just want a hell of a lot more of them found guilty – because many of them are.

The Film ‘SPOTLIGHT’ review – an indictment of the Catholic Church

Posted on by Opher

I would thoroughly recommend Spotlight. It was a film that was extremely well done, absorbing and thought-provoking.

The film was based on a true story – the investigation made by the Boston Globe into cases of child abuse by priests in the Catholic Church.

What is absolutely unbelievable is how this was how extensive this was and the reactions of those who should have dealt with it.

6% of the total number of priests in the church are thought to be active paedophiles. That is a staggering number world-wide. In Boston alone it represents 90 priests. In that city alone over 1000 cases of child abuse were uncovered. Those 90 priests regularly abused young children (mainly boys but girls too). Some of them were raped. This includes children under the age of ten. One dreads to think of the numbers involved world-wide.

One of the most frightening aspects of the film was at the end where the lists of where abuse had occurred were put up on the screen.

What was spelt out was:

The way communities covered up what was being done to the children in their area. They covered it up. That is unbelievable. Their justification was that they could not allow a ‘couple of bad eggs’ undo all the good the church did.

Pressure was put on parents of abused children to keep quiet.

The church covered it up and put pressure on the authorities, community and parents.

The priests were simply moved to other areas where they could continue their abuse of children. They were not brought to justice. They were not removed from contact with children. It was as if the church condoned the behaviour. In some cases the priests were even promoted.

The priests, who presumably believed in the dogma of heaven and hell, did not feel that their perverse behaviour was wrong.

It was a very sobering film – extremely well scripted and acted.

By the finish I was not sure what was worse – the abuse or the horrendous way it was covered up.

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