Just thought I’d reflect a bit on the death of the brilliant Sinéad O’Connor. Aside from her beautiful, haunting voice and powerful songs, she was incredibly brave to raise the issue of childhood sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Fearless.
And in a week when we hear that the number of reported cases of CSA is higher than ever, we should take a step back and question what is going on. Seriously question it. Why are we not doing more to safeguard our children? Why are we not doing more to teach them about safe and unsafe behaviour from adults? How can we do more to promote healthy communities that work together to nurture and protect children in a safe environment? I don’t have all the answers but I have seen a brilliant education programme in South Hams, one of a kind in the UK, close down this year due to lack of funding. Despite repeated pleas to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner in Devon & Cornwall, no money was made available for prevention work. It was all given to support for victims. Which is massively important. Vital... But if we don’t do the work to prevent the horror of CSA, it will go on ruining lives.
Rest in peace Sinéad, and thank you for your voice.
