Inspection reports on Downside, which is run by the Benedictine order and charges boarders fees of £26,000 per year, refer specifically to seven monks who have worked at the school at different times and whose behaviour has been “a cause for concern”.So now we know of seven. This is definitely a number of abusers comparable to what has been discovered at Ealing.
The figure includes two former employees who despite worries about their past conduct, continued to live in Downside Abbey which shares the school grounds. The practice of allowing senior school pupils to have overnight stays in the abbey recently ended because of child protection concerns.
But Downside is in a way worse than Ealing in its utter recklessness over child protection. Even though the Abbot knew that he had monks living under his roof who were potentially a danger to children, pupils of the school were regularly invited into the monastery itself for overnight retreats!
There's none so blind as those that will not see.
ReplyDeleteSeven perpetrators - but how many abusees?
ReplyDeleteA statistic to consider. It is believe that a career perpetrator abuses an average of 180 children in a lifetime.
A terrifying thought.