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Principles
The Bible tells us that we are made in God's image. We are
called to love and care for our neighbour. This means, in part, that we must not
physically harm or dehumanize, degrade, exploit or neglect those with whom we
are in relationship.
The Issue
Abuse takes place in Christian families and churches, as well
as in Canadian society at large. As Christians who recognize human weakness and
sin, we must be prepared to encounter abuse, and seek to prevent abuse and
restore persons hurt by it. It is important that we understand the nature of
abuse, in order to prevent and address it in our own homes and communities.
According to Webster's Dictionary, to abuse is "to use so as
to injure or damage." Abuse can have many forms: physical abuse, sexual abuse
and exploitation, emotional abuse, neglect and economic abuse. It quite often
involves the misuse of power and/or authority and nearly always constitutes a
violation of trust. It can occur in a single instance or episode, or be repeated
over a prolonged period of time. It can occur at the hands of a parent, spouse
or other family member, a caregiver or person in position of trust or authority,
or by a stranger.
“Family violence” is a term that includes the many forms of
abuse, maltreatment or neglect that adults and children can experience within
their intimate, family or dependent relationships. Family violence includes
child abuse, spousal abuse, dating violence and abuse of older adults (senior
abuse).
Any form of family violence is against the law in Canada.
While the Criminal Code does not contain a specific offence of family violence,
an abuser can be charged with a range of applicable offences.
Current Status Unfortunately, young
people have experienced abuse in church and Christian camp environments. It is
crucial, therefore, for Christians to take all reasonable steps to protect
children from abuse. Children suffer lifelong emotional and spiritual harm from abuse.
There have been numerous court cases dealing with the
responsibility of those with children’s programs to have policies in place to
protect children from abuse. The basic principles are that these policies must
be more stringent for those who deal directly with children.
Some basic principles of these policies include:
• Police checks for all who are responsible for
children
• Ensuring that children are not left alone for a significant
period of time with a single care-giver.
• Ensure that there are windows
in Sunday school classrooms and that there are visual checks of the
classrooms.
• Ensure there are at least two caregivers where children
spend overnight in care.
If there is an allegation of abuse, it must be taken seriously
and investigated and addressed immediately.
Under a legal principle called “vicarious liability,”
organizations are often financially responsible if a child is abused while in a
program of the organization. Increasingly, insurance companies are refusing to
insure organizations that deal with children if they do not have policies in
place.
Statistics It is difficult to obtain a complete and accurate picture of abuse in Canada – how common is it, how often does it happen and where? Most often, abuse takes place in secret. Persons suffering abuse, be they spouses, children or seniors, may be reluctant or afraid to speak up and report what is happening or has happened to them. Some people will never disclose what they have suffered, or will wait many, many years to do so. Yet a partial picture can be obtained from data from police reports and child welfare authorities. In 1999, children and youth under 18 years of age made up 23 percent of the Canadian population and were the victims in 24 percent of assaults reported to police. They were the victims of 60 percent of all sexual assaults and 20 percent of all physical assaults. [16] The Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child abuse and neglect (CIS) estimates that there were 135,573 child maltreatment investigations in Canada in 1998 – nearly 22 investigations for every 1000 children. Statistics Canada reports that between 1995 and 2001, 84 percent of children in shelters were there to escape abuse in the home. The CIS also discovered a rate of 0.86 cases of sexual abuse per 1000 children, 3.66 cases of neglect per 1000 children and 2.2 cases of emotional abuse per 1000 children. [17] A statistical profile on family violence released by Statistics Canada in 2000 revealed that fathers are more likely to abuse children no matter the age of the child or the type of abuse. Girls constitute 80 percent of child and youth sexual assault victims and 53 percent of physical assault victims in cases where the abuser was a family member, whereas boys make up 74 percent of children and youth who are physically assaulted by strangers or people outside of the family. [18] Spousal violence occurs in significant numbers in Canada. In the five years leading up to 1999, eight percent of women and seven percent of men in common-law and married relationships had their partners commit violent acts towards them. The risk of spousal assault is greater for younger men and women and for those couples living in a common-law relationship as compared to those in a married relationship. Over the same period, 20 per cent of Aboriginals reported experiencing spousal abuse. [19][20] The 1999 General Social Survey on Victimization (GSS) discovered that men and women experience comparable rates of violence and emotional abuse; however, there is a clear distinction in the degree suffered by women. Men and women also tend to report different types of abuse - where women more often report being sexually assaulted and physically beaten and choked, men most often report offences such as being slapped or bitten. [21] The GSS also found children in approximately half a million households had either heard or witnessed a parent being assaulted during the five years prior to the survey. According to Statistics Canada, from 1995 to 2001, 73 percent of women in shelters were there to escape spousal abuse. [22] Women are also at higher risk of being killed by their husbands or partners, and the rate of spousal homicide is much higher for Aboriginal women and men. [23] Footnotes [16] Valerie Pottie Bunge and Daisy Locke (ed.), Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 2000, p. 31.
[17] Nico Trocme et al., Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect, 2001 (Ottawa, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada): 1:9-10
[18] Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, 2000 (Ottawa: Minister of Industry, 2000), 30.
[19] Statistics Canada: The Daily, Family Violence (2000) http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/000725/d000725b.htm
[2005-05-26].
[20] Statistics Canada: The Daily, Family Violence: focus on child abuse and children at risk (2001) http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/010628/d010628b.htm [2005-05-26].
[21] Canadian Resource Centre, Spousal Abuse (2002) http://www.crcvc.ca/docs/spousalabuse.pdf
[2005-05-26].
[22] Statistics Canada: The Daily, Family Violence (2003) http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/030623/d030623c.htm
[2005-05-26].
[23] Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile (Ottawa: Statistics Canada; Cat. No. 85-224-SPE, 2001)
What You Can Do Most provincial and territorial laws require any person
who suspects a child is being mistreated to report it to the appropriate child
welfare authority. The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies offers guidelines on how and when to report
suspected cases of child abuse. Online sexual exploitation of children should be
reported to cybertip.ca. Clergy and
children’s workers have a duty to recognize the signs of abuse and report the
suspected or reported abuse of children, and churches should exercise due
diligence in this area, taking proper precautions and ensuring policies are
developed to protect children from any possibility of abuse. The EFC provides
guidelines for developing church policies in “Abuse in Homes and Church
Communities.”
Resources Click here to find a list of shelters for women and children in Canada. Children needing help can talk to a school guidance counselor or nurse, a pastor or trusted adult. They can also call the kids help phone line (1-800-668-6868), or visit their website. The Public Health Agency of Canada provides a list of services and helps for abused older adults across Canada. EFC Resources Other Resources
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