Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Fight, flight, freeze

By Amanda Gearing - posted Monday, 1 September 2008


To the casual observer, noting yet another mass sexual abuse scandal in a church boarding school, one might wonder why the story has taken more than 20 years to hit the newspapers.

To discover this we have to look at the scheming minds of the offenders who orchestrated for themselves at St Stanislaus, a way to be able to commit crimes against children without ever being reported to authorities.

Far from their offences being lapses or mistakes, these types of offenders are conscious schemers who know the depth of depravity in which they are engaging.

Advertisement

Their offending typically begins early in their life - usually mid-teenage.

So they know as young men that they need to work in an organisation which will trust them to be with children unsupervised by parents or other responsible adults.

They also need an organisation which will trust them more than any child who might accidentally or purposely ever report their crimes.

The church’s philosophy of holding priests on a pedestal and the church’s teaching that everyone must “forgive” another who wrongs them so that their sins may in turn be forgiven by God, is an ideal environment.

There is also a bonus for offenders working in church schools: if a child reports, their parents will be placed in the difficult position of having to chose between believing their child or believing their spiritual leaders.

For the child entering a boarding school, the power structure is very evident.

Advertisement

Teachers tell students what to do and when to do it.

Students know they must obey and they will be legitimately punished if they don’t do as they are told.

Parents reinforce to the child the importance of doing as they are told by their teachers.

Confronted by the monstrous evil of spiritual betrayal and sexual crimes by a priest, how is the child to cope?

Their responses revert to the primitive survival instincts: fight, flight or freeze.

Since offenders are physically much bigger and stronger than their little victims, fight is not an option.

Since the offenders in effect have the child captive - in a boarding school - flight is also not an option.

Only the last option, of “freeze” is viable.

Just like a rabbit or a kangaroo caught in the headlights of a car, the child freezes in shock and terror, hoping the aggressor will leave them alone. In this overwhelming situation, the child often “dissociates”, that is, their mind leaves their body and in effect “watches” what is happening, unable to escape.

In later years, victims often are tied to silence because they think they “failed” to fight or escape.

Even worse, their body may have responded to unwanted sexual stimulation. Victims perceive their automatic biological responses as a betrayal of their inner selves by their own body. It is this perception of betrayal which can lead to self-harm - the desire to punish, hurt or even destroy the body which they think betrayed them.

It is often not until victims reach the age of about 40 that they are at last able to assimilate the confusion, horror and evil to which they were subjected so long before and to understand that what happened was not their fault.

A hallmark of the most prolific offenders is scape-goating - convincing the victims that they are the ones at fault.

Thus reporting crimes committed against them by recognised and trusted spiritual leaders in the community takes enormous courage and determination.

The boys of St Stanislaus will need all the understanding, help and practical support their families and friends can offer in the years ahead.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

15 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Dr Amanda Gearing graduated with a Masters' Degree from QUT in 2012 and a PhD in Global investigative journalism in 2016. Amanda was The Courier-Mail's reporter in Toowoomba for ten years until 2007 and received several awards for her work including Best news Report (All Media) in 2002. She has written in Australia and the UK for national and state newspapers and has produced documentaries for ABC Radio National. In 2012 she won a Walkley Award for Best radio documentary for The day that changed Grantham. She also won a Clarion Award for her radio documentary A living sacrifice in 2013. Her non-fiction book The Torrent was published in 2012 and an updated edition will be published in February 2017.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Amanda Gearing

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Amanda Gearing
Article Tools
Comment 15 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy