This is one of those issues where large portions of the left frustrate me. There's such a preoccupation with leveling hierarchies and dismantling the social structures that support those hierarchies that the harm done by leaving no realistic or sustainable replacement that fulfills the same functions is ignored.
I mean let's be clear about this: it's no coincidence that so many sexual abuse scandals occurred in the 1970s and 80s; i.e. after the collapse of various enforced Moral Orders (which had their flaws and faults and trapped many people, but, it must be admitted, protected others) but before certain mostly feminist derived concerns became mainstream.
As someone who worked on these cases at a government level that's not quite true. Reporting of abuse from that era by still living victims is higher because of the collapse of 'moral institutions' (and literal institutions) allowing freedom to talk and to be believed. Equally where those institutions and codes still exist, particularly in the Asian community, reporting levels are in many aspects dangerously low. When it comes to the LGBT community the last 50 years of progress hasn't happened. Far right dog whistling aside it's a real problem and progressive community groups need to be empowered.
Unchecked authority is the key indicator of where abuse can be allowed to exist (elder abuse in care homes lacking state intervention is one worrying development) As such you can only really 'model' historical records of institutuonal abuse and from what I know that's been on a downward trend. Abuse in the family home is a different beast.
