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One of the hardest aspects of solving the
problems of child abuse is ‘breaking the barrier
of silence’. The publicity generated by the recent
remarks of the Governor General and the
disclosures by the NSW Royal Commission into
paedophilia is an encouraging start to making
citizens aware of the extent of child abuse but
this is only a beginning.
Research shows that approximately one in three
girls and one in seven boys are sexually abused in
childhood. The majority of these offences
occur within family circles where
intimidation, fear, and shame prevent disclosure.
The perpetrators are usually known to the child
and trusted by the family. In order to stop this
crime against our children, we must all speak out
and acknowledge the extent of child abuse, and the
devastating effects it has on our population in
terms of psychological damage.
The aim of the Purple Ribbon Project is to
establish the month of July each year as national
Purple Ribbon Month, during which people are asked
to wear a small purple ribbon as a protest against
the extent of child abuse in our community. The
colour purple was chosen as a spiritual hue
signifying compassion.
It is now accepted that 1 in 5 adults will
suffer from mental illness at some time in their
lives. A conservative estimate has been made that
65 per cent of inpatients and 55 per cent of
outpatients of psychiatric hospitals have been
abused as children and some mental health services
in Australia put the figure as high as 90 per
cent. Some conclusions from other research carried
out in the past few years are as follows:
- 76
per cent of women and 72 per cent of men with
severe mental illness had been abused as
children (Ritschler and Coursey, 1997. A survey
on issues in the lives of women with severe
mental illness.)
- 70
per cent of drug addicts and 84 per cent of
participants in Odyssey House programs in
Australia and the US reported histories of child
abuse (Anecdotal reports, Odyssey
House)
- 44
per cent of women in treatment for addiction to
opiates had histories of incest (Denson Gerber,
1981)
- 70
per cent of 500 drug abusing adolescent girls
reported sexual abuse as children (Webber,
1997)
- 50
per cent of female drug and alcohol abusers
reported childhood incest (Yeary,
1982)
- 75
per cent of prisoners have experienced child
abuse (Safecare Committee, WA)
- In
2000, 87 per cent of youths between 15-18 yrs
old in Reeby House, had previously been notified
to Department of Children’s Services as being
abused. 63 per cent of those had been notified
on more than 3 occasions. (Director General of
Juvenile Justice, 2001).
- The
odds for future delinquency, adult criminality
overall, and arrest for violent crime
specifically, increased by about 40 per cent for
people abused and neglected as children. (Widom,
The cycle of violence. Child Protection Seminar
Series No.5 NSW Child Protection Council,
1992)
- The
abused and neglected adolescent carries
significantly greater risk factors than
non-abused adults (Kaplan, et al, Journal of the
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
36(6), 1997)
- Homeless
youth who have been physically or sexually
abused are more at risk for attempting suicide
(2 to 4 times) than non-abused homeless youth.
(Molnar, et al, Suicidal behaviour and
sexual/physical abuse among street youth. Child
Abuse and Neglect. 22 (3)
1998)
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of
the most difficult disorders to treat.
Psychiatrists have been known to refuse to treat
patients with BPD because of the extreme states of
acting out, irrational anger and non-compliance
they exhibit. And yet it is estimated that
approximately 85 per cent of patients with BPD
were abused as children.
Post traumatic Stress Disorder has been
recognised as a common occurrence among war
veterans for some time. It is only recently that
health professionals have begun to recognise that
people who have a history of severe child abuse,
"display significantly more insomnia, sexual
dysfunction, dissociation, anger, suicidality,
self-mutilation, drug addiction and alcoholism
than other {psychiatric} patients" (Herman, (1992)
Trauma and Recovery, London: Pandora).
Survivors frequently complain of chronic
depression and an inner deadness, unable to
experience lasting pleasure or excitement.
The Purple Ribbon Project began on the Gold
Coast in 1994 and was recognised and supported by
the Gold Coast City Council for several years. In
1997 Wyong Shire Council adopted the Project as an
annual month-long campaign and it has been
actively observed each year since. A committee
made up of representatives from the Central Coast
Area Health Service, Department of Community
Services, Department of Public Prosecution, Wyong
Shire Council staff and adult survivors of child
abuse, facilitate the month’s events and organize
the provision of ribbons, pins, donation boxes
etc. The Council has used its staff and facilities
to create signs for display in Council offices,
libraries etc, and has provided financial support
for the purchase of purple ribbon and pins for
distribution to citizens. (The local hospital pink
ladies used their spare time to cut and pin
thousands of ribbons!).
Community organizations are encouraged to run
or participate in events. Wyong Council conducts
seminars, workshops, hypotheticals or forums
throughout the Shire to this end. Information and
purple ribbons are available at all shopping
centres, health and community centres, libraries
and schools throughout the Shire and citizens are
encouraged to wear their purple ribbon throughout
the month of July.
For three years, adult survivors have compiled
a survivors’ book of poetry published by Wyong
Council, and have prepared and updated a list of
local therapists who work with adult and child
survivors of child abuse. The local media
publishes regular articles and information about
events throughout the month. In the six years it
has been running, public support has grown, and
while the ribbons are free, the increasing amount
of donations and feedback received each year is
evidence of the concern the public feels about
this long-hidden issue.
In July 2000, the Project was adopted by a
number of other councils in New South Wales, among
them Wollongong, Blue Mountains, Broken Hill,
Auburn and Sutherland. The aim is to have the
Project recognised on a national level, because
only by breaking the silence on child abuse will
we be able to fight and eliminate this evil in our
society.
Following an approach to all federal Members of
Parliament and Senators in April 2000, the Purple
Ribbon Project was observed in Canberra as Purple
Ribbon Day on June 28. All adjournment speeches
that day concerned child abuse and six members,
three Labor and three Liberal, have subsequently
formed ‘Parliamentarians Against Child Abuse’ – a
truly bipartisan organization dedicated to raising
awareness of child abuse and working to address
the issues which are of paramount importance in
protecting our children, now and in the future.
While acceptance of Purple Ribbon Month by many
councils in New South Wales is a good start, we
intend to continue to work towards the project
being adopted nationally.
Purple Ribbon Month serves to raise awareness
of the effects and extent of child abuse in our
community. It makes possible participation at a
"grass roots level", involving everyone in the
community from the Mayor to the smallest children
in kindergarten, as well as the mums and dads at
home. The feedback we have received has always
been very positive with many people stating that
"this should have happened years ago"!
Please approach your local Council or form your
own committee to observe Purple Ribbon Month
actively in your area and let it be known that the
community will no longer tolerate this crime being
perpetrated on our children.
Jan
Watson is a consultant for the Purple Ribbon
campaign. |
