Q7. “Evil persists not only because of wrongdoers but also because of institutional silence”. Assess the ethical dilemmas posed when organisations cover up abuse to protect reputation. How does this compromise justice and accountability? (10 M)
Difficulty Level: Medium
Reference: NIE
Why the question
The case of institutional silence in child abuse incidents (like Barmer hostel) raises deeper ethical concerns about complicity, justice, and accountability in governance and society.
Key demand of the question
The question requires analysing the ethical dilemmas of cover-ups and explaining how such silence compromises justice and accountability with relevant ethical reasoning, laws, and examples.
Structure of the Answer
Introduction
Explain how institutional silence becomes ethical complicity and undermines trust.Body
- Ethical dilemmas: Conflict between duty vs loyalty, truth vs secrecy, dignity vs reputation, and lack of moral courage.
- Compromise of justice and accountability: Denial of victim rights, perpetuation of abuse, erosion of public trust, weakening of oversight institutions, and violation of constitutional morality.
Conclusion
Highlight the need for moral courage, transparency, and victim-centric ethics to restore institutional trust.
