Vigilance needed to fight child sexual abuse

Sexual abuse leaves a lifelong scar on its victims, the wound being especially deep when it’s inflicted in childhood. The message it conveys is one of powerlessness.

Those stripped of their control feel instinctively that the action is wrong. And when it keeps happening, it’s not much of a stretch to arrive at a critical misperception: that the wrong somehow lies within themselves.

The abuse is a dehumanizing act by the aggressor, made all the more abominable when the victims are children, their sense of self still in the formative stages. Those with custodial care of children must consider it their duty to do what they can to protect people who are so vulnerable.

Sexual victimization of the weak by the strong has been a theme running through the news in recent weeks, with reports of misconduct flooding in from people on the receiving end, largely the targets of sexual harassment of employees in the media, entertain- ment and political arenas.

And now, a local legal case, in which the plaintiffs allege assault happening within the school environment, has brought home a reminder of the potential damage abuse can have on young people.

Star-Advertiser writer Rob Perez probed the lawsuit filed in state Circuit Court by 34 plaintiffs. Most of them are former students of Kamehameha Schools, attending while Dr. Robert Browne worked as a psychiatric consultant there, between 1959 and 1981. Browne also was chief of psychiatry at St. Francis Medical Center.

According to depositions taken for the case, Browne killed himself in 1991, reportedly days after a former student alleged abuse and declared his intent to confront the psychiatrist. The school, an $8.6 billion charitable institution, was named as a defendant in the suit, along with the Browne estate and St. Francis.

A central allegation in the suit is that Kamehameha officials were negligent in their duty to protect students and, further, that they covered up Browne’s malfeasance. That won’t be established fact until the legal proceedings in the case run their course, starting with a trial next June.

However, it’s crucial now to consider the importance of heightened vigilance against child sexual abuse.

It’s true that the general awareness of sexual abuse and its effects have expanded greatly over the decades since Browne began his practice at Kamehameha and St. Francis. Authority figures seemed all but unassailable, even when accusations came from children.

In particular, these children were considered troubled, which is why they had been referred to a psychiatrist in the first place. This made them even more vulnerable in the event of abuse.

To whatever extent those troubles diminished the credibility of the alarm they sounded — and alarm bells did go out, according to the lawsuit — this is a cautionary tale for every official working in a custodial institution such as a school or health facility.

Plaintiffs will make the case that the school could have done more outreach to potential victims than they did. Distressingly, there are already depositions indicating the administrators’ desire to put the incidents behind them right after Browne’s death.

In fact, a victim’s injuries can continue to fester for years, even after the perpetrator has died.

The nonprofit National Center for Victims of Crimes (victimsofcrime.org) has collected studies on the issue of child sexual abuse and describes short-term effects in the first two years, ranging from sleep disturbance to behavioral problems. Longer-term consequences can include severe anxiety, fear and difficulty in relationships.

These are lifetime repercussions that children shouldn’t suffer at the hands of any adult. Those in a position to care for them have a mandate to stand guard against abuse at every turn.