AUSTRALIA
Health Canal
Young girls are just as likely as young boys to be sexually abused by a member of the clergy, a new QUT study has shown.
The report, ‘They Did Not Believe Me’: Adult Survivors’ Perspectives of Child Sexual Abuse by Personnel in Christian Institutions, is the first of its kind in Australia relying on personal experiences rather than church data.
Dr Jodi Death from QUT’s Crime and Justice Research Centre said the results, published yesterday, contradicted previous studies showing young boys were more likely to be sexually assaulted in the church.
“Past studies, which have relied on the church’s data, have shown that boys are represented in about 80 per cent of sexual abuse cases, but we saw an almost even split (49 percent male and 51 per cent female),” Dr Death said.
“It may be because traditionally women and girls had a lesser position and voice in the church so the abuse against girls is less likely to be recorded.
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