There Is Hope in How Child Abuse Has Been Exposed — Britain
The failure to understand power explained the unnecessary handwringing about whether it was racist to say that the men exploiting girls in Rotherham were from Pakistani backgrounds. As Home Office investigators testified, public officials warned them off by accusing them of being racially insensitive and sending them on diversity awareness courses as a punishment.
In other places, white men with power, including power over their families, were abusing. But our warped version of multiculturalism ensured that at that place and in that time Pakistani men had the advantage. Now maybe they won’t. As you survey the wave of scandals, you might think that there are many other reasons to oppose, say, organised religion. But you should acknowledge that it was inquiries into child abuse that humbled the Catholic church, not atheist critiques. There and elsewhere, they have levelled pyramids of power, made repeat offending less likely and opened closed organisations.
However severely he is tempted, only the most stupid manager, bishop or chief constable will cover up sexual abuse today. I am not saying that such stupidity among the powerful will not continue - like the poor it is always with us - but the example of the BBC and the Catholic episcopacy will haunt the rest. The editor of Newsnight, who banned the revelation of Savile’s crimes, or the bishops, who moved priests to new parishes, thought they were protecting their institutions. They could not have done them more damage.