Gender in Criminal Justice
Name
Institution
Gender in Criminal Justice
Explanation of Dating Abuse Using the Cycle of Abuse
Sometimes it is difficult to know that abuse is taking place because the abusers pretend to be good people when in public while the people being abused do not realize whether they are being abused. An actual example is the US priest; Rev. Kenneth Bernard Hendricks, who sexually abused his altar boys in Philippines (US News, 2018). The priest initiated it by kissing, touching their genitals and then performing anal and oral sex without their consent.
The cycle of abuse begins when the altar boys lack the confidence to confront the priest and become emotionally and psychologically disturbed. The boys also depend on him for basic needs like food after providing the necessary services. Besides, the priest had threatened to jail them if they speak out. The molestation together with the fear of being jailed creates a lot of tension among the boys (Lecture notes, 2020). Due to the fear of precipitating violence, the boys do not report the incidence though feeling awkward.
The next stage is when the priest expresses his anger by arguing his point to prove he is right and yelling, which results in intimidation (Lecture notes, 2020). He never admits the mistake of sexually abusing the boys but rather blames and even threatens to jail them.
Besides, the priest being aware of his wrong deeds, he becomes anxious that the victims might report him; thus, he pretends to be sorry to reconcile. The boys believe that he is sorry while giving explanations for his actions. They also accept his apology, which makes him gain more powers.
The abuse progresses to the honeymoon stage after reconciliation, and everyone is happy (Lecture notes, 2020). In this phase, the priest gains trust from the boys again while they enjoy the good things provided by the priest. The boys blame themselves for the misunderstanding and then stop thinking of reporting the abuse, and this allows the priest to continue molesting them.
References
Lecture notes. (2020). Intimate Partner Violence.
US News. (2018). East Asia Pacific. US Priest Accused of Abusing Altar Boys in Philippines. Retrieved from https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/us-priest-accused-abusing-altar-boys-philippines