Blaming victims discourages others from seeking help, social workers warn

Blaming victims – such as in the case of the acquittal of a priest from sexually abusing a woman – discourages other vulnerable people from asking for help, social workers are warning. Their association is calling for awareness about power imbalance “inherent in professional relationships” that renders those seeking help vulnerable. “There was certainly lack of awareness in the case of the recent judgement delivered by the Appeals Court which revoked a sentence handed down to a member of a religious order,” the Maltese Association of Social Workers said. The MASW refrained from referring to a particular case. However, last week, Fr Charles Fenech was acquitted of having sexually abused a woman after the Appeals Court found that the relationship between the two was consensual and the woman knew exactly what she was doing. Fr Fenech, who had been previously sentenced to three months imprisonment suspended for a year, had his sentence revoked. “The Court held that the woman was able to stop meetings with the perpetrator when she wanted. According to the court, although she was vulnerable, she knew exactly what she was doing. “This kind of reasoning, which sees leaving an abusive...