Now also Salem! Am I especially astonished, shocked, appalled? To be honest: I am not. No, I am not, not really. Why should our school be spared a phenomenon, that obviously intersperses the whole society. Neither severeness nor liberality seem to protect from sexual abuse. Not only schools regardless of their pedagogical profile are accused, but also seminaries, sports and choral clubs and even the family. In the family sexual abuse occurs most frequently. This is not meant to distract from the responsibility our school certainly has, but it helps classifying.
The question, that absorbs me is not, whether there have been cases of sexual abuse, but how our school handles them. This has to be measured: Not suppressing and sweeping under the carpet, but reprocessing, clarifying and drawing the conclusions are necessary steps.
And this process is already in progress.
Critical self reflection is part of it: Where did we not look or listen thoroughly enough? And the complete reprocessing of the past is essential. The school management has asked former and actual students in a mailing to report any potential case of abuse. This is not an easy task for those who are in charge of reprocessing. During the recent weeks we had to learn that sexual abuse is a diffuse concept. Where lies the border between familiar closeness and hidden assault? And another aspect: fact and fancy are often close. Who knows, whether there are still scores to be settled?. Nonetheless the offensive handling of the past is indispensable. The harm of potential victims must be revealed, the school must stand to their responsibility.
The comprehensive information of the pupils and students is important, too. Sexual abuse prospers best in an atmosphere of dependency, fear and false loyalty. Sexual abuse has barely a chance when strong and self-confident students know their rights and are encouraged to stand up for them.
And this is where I see the strength of our school. “Truth is reasonable for mankind”, this has been said by Ingeborg Bachmann. As long as Salem sticks to this wisdom, I think the school is on the right way.
Sabine Jacobs-Bommert, Parents´ Council, Speaker of the College
