Your Say

The problem with #notallmen
I was disappointed by Mike Shellshear’s comment in Your say (3 July). Referring to the Lucy Letby case in the UK, he said "while it's true men are far more implicated in sexual offences and therefore are a greater risk, it doesn't follow that being a woman automatically makes you a safe option for children.” This is a classic example of both #notallmen and whataboutism. As too often happens in our society, when men commit violence against women or children, the narrative is narrowed to ‘how do we block access in this one particular instance’, rather than ask how we can change the culture of masculinity so it doesn’t include entitlement to other people’s bodies.
Michelle Spencer

Thanks Erin
Thanks to Erin Harper for her article on why it's so hard to know what happens in childcare centres. It's right on TC theme of clarity and rigour on the subject, not rhetoric inflamed by the deep-felt emotion of the news.
David Young

Perpetrators of child sexual abuse
Responding to Guy Forsyth’s comment in Your say, (3 July), he wrote that parents need to be looking after their own children instead of putting them in daycare. Putting aside the gender politics here, which is no doubt worth discussion, the writer is ignoring the distressing fact that most child abuse, including sexual abuse, is perpetrated by male family members. Fathers, step-fathers, grandfathers, uncles and male family friends are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of child sexual abuse. The focus on extra-familial risks is necessary but should not be promoted over recognition of intra-familial risk, which encourages the myth that families are necessarily safe.
Kelly Sumner

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