The Press
Friday, August 19, 1988.
Religious men 'more likely' to abuse
Men with religious backgrounds who are considered “pillars of society” have a
greater chance of being child abusers, a Wellington psychologist’s research has
found.
Mr Hamish Dixon, a member of Men for Non-violence in
He told the Psychological Society Conference that the backgrounds of men in his
group showed that those with strong religious backgrounds had a higher chance
of being abusers.
After working with the group he said imprisonment should not be the only form
of punishment for men who abused their children.
Mr Dixon said the justice system was too rigid in dealing with sexual abusers,
with the police and child protection team stepping in as soon as an, offence
was reported.
But often imprisoning an abuser could create more stress for the victim and the
family, Mr Dixon said.
"It is really important the men are seen to be punished severely but I do
think the current system is becoming too rigid," Mr Dixon said.
The group, which treats men in 16 week courses, with a two-year follow-up, has
men join voluntarily and after referrals from prisons or probation.
He said there was a shortage of male psychologists and
a severe shortage of Justice Department psychologists to help sex abusers.
This shortage meant there was a "desperate need" for counselling
groups in the community, he said.
There were only three such groups in
Community concern about child abuse was understandable but there should be more
flexibility in treating it, he said.
Men treated in the counselling group were removed from their homes after the
event but should eventually be able to return.
Often abusers were sent to prison, lost all contact with their family, and on
release linked up with a new family and started abusing again, he said.
Mr Dixon said he also wanted to clear up the "dangerous" myth that
men who had been abused were very likely to abuse their children. Less than a
third of his treatment group's members had been abused as children.
All types of men were abusers, from company managers to railway workers, he
said.
Most men in his group had abused their children because they felt inadequate
sexually and felt a child would not criticise their performance, he said.