Precedent for PNG 'dumping ground' for abusive priests

KEITH JACKSON

INTERNATIONAL CRIME EXPERT Dr Kristian Lasslett has said “it stands to reason [that] church crimes”, such as child abuse, “may have occurred in Papua New Guinea.”

Dr Lasslett is co-director of the International State Crime Initiative and lecturer in criminology at the University of Ulster.

He was commenting on Peter Kranz’s article in PNG Attitude yesterday which said that PNG may have been used “as a [metaphorical] 'training ground' for priestly child molesters, and sometimes a convenient 'dumping ground' for the Church to send accused priests".

Yesterday the Australian government also announced an extensive Royal Commission into institutional child abuse in Australia.

“A timely and important issue, well done Peter for raising it,” Dr Lasslett remarked, “though I suspect it will be particularly hard for victims to report their abuse, even now.”

“Evidence has sporadically come to light that the Catholic church was involved in forced removals of children in PNG, replicating a pattern elsewhere,” he said.

“I know in Ireland many victims went through hell trying to corroborate their claims, before a disbelieving audience, and an Irish government extremely reluctant to engage in a frontal offensive against the Church.

“Certainly places like Kenya, when a British colony, was used as a dumping ground of sorts for priests 'under a cloud of accusations', so there is precedent.”

“This is an important issue - but one to handle with care,” Dr Lasslett added.

In his article, Peter Kranz provided details on the “surprising number of already convicted paedophile priests [who had] a background of service in PNG

“This matter needs to be brought into the open as a public service to the people of PNG, and it needs to be investigated further as a protection for children and young people who may still well be at risk,” he said.

Child abuse is believed to be widespread in PNG. A 2006 study revealed that children as young as 11 years of age were being forced into prostitution and trafficked as child brides. It said children are also sexually abused in their own communities, raped and abused by persons in authority including police.

Comments

[Kristian Lasslett]

This yesterday from Radio New Zealand:

"The leader of the Catholic church in New Zealand says church officials will investigate the handling of a now-dead paedophile priest in the 1980s.

"Serial child sex offender Father Denis McAlinden, who abused dozens of young girls over nearly five decades, spent a year in New Zealand in 1984 before being sent to Papua New Guinea."

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/120733/catholic-church-to-investigate-own-handling-of-paedophile-priest

[Robin Lillicrapp]

The dark side of human nature is remorselessly exposed to the consternation of perpetrators, and the anguish of victims in the glare of publicity afforded in the Royal Commission.

As necessary as it is to expose the perversion of those who mostly are authouratative figures in the institutions, I think there is an equal need for laity to re-examine their position in accepting consort with philosophies and somewhat co-dependent relationships with those institutions.

In the same way we might ask of perpetrators that they give account of their abusive and evil practises, so should the sheep of their pasture be prepared to give account for their own acts of omission in giving charge of their "eternal security" to the dictums of an obviously vulnerable and not immune clergy.

Last time I looked, human beings were afforded the luxury of a conscience, a brain to think with, and family and community to interface with.

Add to the mix, the freely available proliferation of scripture which for the most part excoriates and vilifies the rules-driven liturgy of Pharisaic religion; exhorting instead, the personal accountability of the individual to the offer of the free gift of salvation by the Creator:

Is it any wonder that the house of cards proffered by Institutional religion should fall down around its inhabitants.

One might also relate the sad outcomes of the outcome-based education saga in PNG history to see some parallels with the deprivation of students concerning their development in literacy and numeracy etc.

The stunting of ability to respect and value language is at the root of applied methodologies to capture and enslave as potent as any appeal by religion to lead and deceive.

The digging up of historic and current events of sexual depravity and abuse by leadership figures should revive the sleeping giant of individual conscience toward personal accountability to the issues of life that confront us.

The blind leading the blind is not good enough.

Where there is no vision (understanding), the people perish.

Where people are perishing, they will often clutch at straws. Failed institutions are not to be trusted.

It is at such a point in realisation that an individual seeking solution to personal faith and assurance apart from institutional bondage, might, by Grace, be surprised.

[Peter Kranz]

Keith - a clarification. My reference to PNG being used as a "training ground" was not intended to mean that this was deliberate, but that PNG may have inadvertently become so by some unscrupulous people due to lack oversight, control and poor awareness of the problem, thus providing opportunities for the evil-minded.

And this was not just confined to the Catholic church - see the reference to NTM boarding schools provided by Jo.

[Jo Cooper]

I am heartened to hear the news this morning about the Royal Commission into child sex abuse.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/child-abuse-inquiry-reaches-wide-20121112-298kg.html#poll

A lawyer question - I appreciate that there must be boundaries around such inquiries, but what is the possibility that it can be widened to include the Pacific?

I'm thinking where the Diocese or home organiation is in Australia or where other such links can be established.
__________

The jurisdiction of the Royal Commission will extend only within Australia, although it is possible that matters related to the Pacific may be raised in evidence. It would be then up to those countries to initiate further action - KJ