ALMOST 72 per cent of child sexual abuse in Australian religious organisations happened in Roman Catholic churches and organisations, new research has found.

The study, conducted through the Australian Catholic University, did not report specifically on abuse in Anglican organisations. “Anglican” was subsumed in a category with a wide range of denominations, including Jehovah’s Witnesses and Orthodox Churches, together totalling 21.8 per cent of abuse events.

The study, The Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrated by Leaders or Other Adults in Religious Organizations in Australia, surveyed 8503 people aged 16 and over, and found that one in 250 of the respondents reported being sexually abused by an adult in a religious organisation. Men reported significantly higher rates of abuse than women; the abuse was overwhelmingly perpetrated by men.

The study found that child sexual abuse in religious organisations had declined over time: results showed that 2.2 per cent of men aged 65 and older had experienced it as children, compared with just 0.2 per cent of men aged between 16 and 24.

This decline, the study concludes, “indicates progress has been made in preventing sexual abuse of children”. In taking all reasonable measures to prevent child sexual abuse, religious organisations particularly needed “interventions targeting male leaders, and organisational cultures”, it said.