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We'd like to introduce you to Coleen Rae Ramirez-Panahon, Director of Safeguarding Research and Reflection at the Catholic Safeguarding Institute, based in Manila, Philippines. Coleen is a strong voice in the Institute's dedication to creating a culture of relational safety within the Catholic Church in Asia and the Pacific Nations. She is all too familiar with the norms, mindsets and practices that act as barriers to safeguarding children. These issues are difficult to address but Coleen brings an understanding of the delicate work of safeguarding, and the need to for compassion through dialogue, knowledge building and reflection.
Here are some reflections from Coleen.
What is your role?
I am the Director for Safeguarding Research and Reflection at the Catholic Safeguarding Institute. I have been with the Institute for 6 years but took on this role over a year ago.
What are you most proud of?
I feel privileged to be part of a team and organisation that is steadfast in creating and sharing ways in which communities can prevent abuse and ultimately build a culture of safety and care. And this comes with the even tougher part of breaking down embedded and pervasive norms, mindsets, practices that have contributed to conditions for abuse. It can be difficult to face these barriers head-on - we have experienced this ourselves in our training rooms and field work. However, our team members press on and innovate safeguarding frameworks and strategies that are efficient and transferrable in the practical sense, and personal and transformative at the individual level. Throughout our 8-year history, we have worked with over 50 institutions (dioceses, religious organisations, schools, and other organisations). We may not have been able to cover that ground without first doing the inner work with our partners of recognising each individual's personal stake in the delicate work of safeguarding.
What's the best thing about being a part of the Global Safeguarding Alliance?
The GSA immerses me in the big picture of the state of safeguarding today. Being a member of the GSA helps me to stay abreast of the emerging issues and developments in safeguarding around the world. It also gives me an opportunity to deepen my understanding of pathways towards solutions through research. I learn so much from members (usually in Zoom meetings) who have devoted their time, energy, and abilities to not only putting safeguarding in the forefront of global discourse but who also do prevention and intervention work in their own contexts. I am also thankful for the latest data and concepts shared through GSA's regular webinars. Being part of GSA always reminds me that safeguarding is both a local and global effort. Knowing that you have safeguarding allies around the world through GSA is a huge encouragement.
Tell us about a specific accomplishment since being a part of the Global Safeguarding Alliance
When I started to represent the Catholic Safeguarding Institute at the GSA, the latter was already in the middle of the Safeguarding Capabilities research led by ACU. That was my first exposure to safeguarding research on a global scale. I'm glad that my Institute was able to contribute to that study with data from the Philippines. It has also inspired us to conduct our own local research of a similar kind.
Who do you most admire?
I admire those who have resolutely and bravely responded to the call to safeguarding way ahead of me without much going for them by way of data, funding resources, or established systems. When I joined our organisation, I found myself in the company of its founders dedicated to addressing the great and urgent need to protect the most vulnerable in society in a way that is nuanced, systematic, rooted in moral principles, and also scalable. I look to them as the trailblazers in the safeguarding practice and I feel privileged to witness their work in action. Moreover, while they have established their expertise in their respective fields (such as psychology and formation), they continue to find opportunities to learn and create so that the safeguarding practice will grow and strengthen.
What inspired you to focus on research related to safeguarding children?
One of my main nudges in stepping into the research arena of safeguarding is my personal curiosity about the true state of safeguarding in my own country. I wonder what's beneath the surface of what we know from the few reports or articles written about cases in the Philippines. Specifically, what I would like to know is how Filipinos - as individuals, as a society, and as the biggest Catholic nation in our region - have been affected by the wave of clergy abuse revelations around the globe. Which parts of our psyche as a collective faithful do we have to rebuild and how? What has kept us together, if at all? This then flows into my hope for greater representation of our region in the discourse and literature on safeguarding.
What is the toughest challenge you've had at work?
In our work where institutions must take a long hard look inward, recognise one's vulnerabilities and challenges to faith and culture, we can be met with resistance or dismissiveness. However, we are somehow prepared for this hurdle. We also trust in our work's process to eventually create a shift in due course. However, what is more difficult to prepare for is hearing stories of victims firsthand. It is personally heart-wrenching. I've also felt frustration and shock at displays of disrespect and blame towards victims from the audience. Then the challenge becomes how to take that tension in the room and carry it forward in the hopes of a shift towards introspection and compassion through dialogue, knowledge building, and reflection.
What advice would you give someone just starting their career in safeguarding?
Perhaps it would be to stay open to learning because safeguarding is still an emerging specialised practice. It also draws from different disciplines and can therefore be a creative space. I believe we are all still in the process of learning and threshing out how approaches to safeguarding can be most appropriate and effective in each of our varied contexts. Therefore, you yourself can contribute to that formulation because you know your context best.
Another note is that there might be moments where one's convictions are shaken in the face of the harsh reality of abuse and victimisation. It would be helpful to have your self-compassion practice in place as well as seek out persons or mentors you can regularly talk to, to express your thoughts, confusion, and questions.
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