Jesus said some very strong things about those who abuse and exploit children, whether it be physically or psychologically. He actually said that it would be better for a mill‑stone to be put around their necks and drowned in the sea, than that one of these little ones should be offended. That is pretty strong language, but it only serves to highlight the seriousness of the matter.
Those who engage in counselling will know how many problems are caused by the way children have been treated. At a national Conference, the Counselling department reported that 70% of the cases dealt with were in some way connected with child abuse, which meant that some of the victims had been carrying a burden for many years.
Some parents are strict to the point of cruelty, working off their anger on the child, giving them a jaundiced view of life ever after. A child shut up in a dark room as punishment for instance, may very well be afraid of the dark for years to come; and who can measure the results of a sexual assault on a child?
It has only been in recent years that the British public has become fully aware of the extent of child abuse in this country and the tragic results. We know of marriages that have foundered because of this.
There are parents that have gone through these experiences, and know only too well what it has meant to them. We can only say that the Lord Who took such a serious view of the perpetrators of such crimes must have sympathy for the victims.