Destructive behaviours, such as child sex abuse, that can create long-term suffering, is not to be condoned. However, the historical record suggests that negative sanctions, on their own, are not effective in improving the human frailty that underpins destructive behaviours. The wounded human heart, which participates in perpetuating the intergenerational cycle of violence from victim to perpetrator, requires healing.
Experience shows that people grow out of a position of strength that comes from healing emotional wounds, from accepting personal responsibility for one’s choices, and from developing self-understanding and coping skills – not the effects of fear or pain, or ostracism.