Pat Kenny and the CEO of the Rape Crisis Centre discuss Child Protection
In this radio podcast, Pat Kenny of Newstalk speaks to Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop, CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, on what parents and guardians can do to best protect their children from ‘stranger danger’.
Following the brutal sexual assault of two young girls in Athlone, aged six and nine, large crowds protested outside the Athlone Garda station in fear and outrage at what had happened.
How is it that two children could be lured away in broad daylight by a stranger? What can parents and guardians do to prevent such hideous attacks? In what are such emotionally-fuelled circumstances, are parents right to be fearful?
In this segment, Kenny and O’Malley-Dunlop sensitively discuss the issue of child abuse and protection. They begin by instilling a sense of calm in their listeners by emphasising that in most sexual assault cases, a stranger is rarely involved. In fact, the perpetrator is usually known and trusted by the child. This, I feel, is a vital detail when discussing child abuse. It not only stresses that incidents similar to the Athlone case are extremely rare, but cautions parents about the likelier possibility that threats to their children’s welfare may come from close family members and friends.
Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop later goes on to express her admiration of the two young girls and their outstanding bravery. She importantly mentions that they were not only listened to but believed, something which many sexual abuse victims sadly don’t experience. These children are now, thankfully, receiving suitable treatment to enable them to recover.
I think that the mentioning of school programmes was massively important as early education about sexual abuse has often been criticized as a means to generate fear and paranoia. However, in this case, the girls’ ability to identify the form of abuse they suffered was hugely significant in the process of prosecution.
After listening to this podcast, it’s evident to me as a listener that we need to continuously develop our treatment centres and ensure that we, as parents and adults, can answer our children’s questions whilst still preserving their innocence.
Waving at Magpies 