Institutional abuse of children was ‘discovered’
in the 1980s, with concept diffusion in the
1990s. I explain why it emerged
as a social problem and what
factors triggered a response
by authorities that ‘something must be done’
to address it. Some have argued that the
1980s was a time of a ‘moral panic’ about child
sexual abuse, in particular, that fears of
abuse were exaggerated and misdirected. Drawing from 19 major cases in Canada and
Australia and those in other countries, I find that a moral panic analysis is not apt in
understanding responses to institutional abuse.
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/CICrimJust/2014/10.pdf
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/CICrimJust/2014/10.pdf
