Keeping our eye on sex, power, relationships, and institutional contexts in preventing institutional child sexual abuse

In this chapter, we explore the nature and extent of child sexual abuse in institutions drawing, in particular, on the research published by the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Taking a situational prevention approach, we consider some of the organisational, contextual, and individual factors (of potential perpetrators and victims) that enable child sexual abuse in institutional settings and provide discussion about what needs to be the focus of prevention activities. Despite the plethora of potential risk factors, we highlight the convergence in creating conditions within which child sexual abuse can occur, flourish, or be excused. In exploring institutional child sexual abuse, we consider the ways that institutional child sexual abuse is similar but different to other forms of child abuse and neglect while stressing the cooccurrence of child maltreatment and interpersonal victimisation experienced by children and young people. Intersections with other prevention paradigms will be considered (including other forms of child maltreatment and peer victimisation, homophobia, bullying, dating, and relationship violence). The chapter will consider the incremental steps that are typically encountered and the typical responses (or the lack of responses) that feed the climate, which, in turn, becomes a driver of future risk. In exploring risk factors and the focus of prevention activities, we focus on what is unique about institutional contexts compared with the more prevalent site of abuse (i.e. the family home) and the implications for both connecting up with other prevention paradigms while not losing the opportunities to respond to its unique nature. The chapter concludes by considering the role of institutional culture in promoting sexual safety as the critical ingredient in child sexual abuse prevention. This moves meaning from focusing on knowledge and skills to environments and cultures that promote positive beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. This requires a sophisticated understanding of power, self, relationships, and sexuality (including an appreciation of a variety of masculinities, femininities, and sexual identities).

We emphasise the importance of not only recognising individual risk factors but also, more importantly, promoting conditions of safety and enhancing organisational cultures that prevent institutional child sexual abuse and appropriately responding when grooming behaviours and abuse occurs.