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Clergy Group Lists Steps Children and Parents Can Take to Prevent Sexual Abuse

Rocked by a series of child sexual abuse scandals, the US Catholic church is taking steps to help children and their families prevent sexual abuse. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Child Protection has issued a 10-point list which includes steps to prevent sexual abuse of children by clergy members.

The list has been compiled by Teresa Kettelkamp who is a former police officer, and is now the head of the US conference of Catholic Bishops. According to Kettelkamp, the list came about as a result of the multitude of sexual abuse lawsuits brought against the church by victims who alleged that they had been molested by clergy members. Many of the molestation incidents go back decades.  In California, the Catholic Church has paid out massive multi-million-dollar settlements to victims of sexual abuse by clergy members, including a massive settlement of more than $660 million by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Among the many points laid out in Kettelkamp’s list is that no person no matter how high their rank in the clergy, has the right to be around children without being thoroughly screened. Kettelkamp says that no clergy member has the right to be alone with a child in his or her bedroom. She encourages the church to establish safety barriers around children. These safety barriers can include background checks, well-established codes of conduct for clergy members, protective guardians, safety training programs and other policies.

The church is reiterating the need for education and training to recognize the signs of sexual abuse. One of the signs, Kettelkamp   says is when a clergy member lavishes unusual or expensive gifts on a child. Another surefire sign would be when a clergy member encourages the child to indulge in activities that his or her parents would not approve. These would include handling or watching child pornography, or taking drugs. Other activities that parents would not approve of include inappropriate or excessive touching. Children must be aware that these can be signs of potential abuse.

The month of April has been designated as Child-Abuse Prevention Month.  For the thousands of abuse victims of sexual abuse by clergy members in California and around the US, this month has a particularly poignant meaning. The church however continues to be racked by allegations of abuse, and the fallout from these has reached some of the highest echelons of power in that institution. Even the Pope has not been left untouched by allegations that he ignored appeals from clergy members to defrock priests who had molested children in their care. Among the many horrifying facts that have come out in recent weeks is that even disabled children were not spared this horrific clergy sex abuse.

If there’s one good thing that has come out of this sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, it’s the awareness and acceptance that horribly ugly things can happen even in the most sacred of settings. California sexual abuse lawyers hope that it promotes awareness about child sexual abuse, how widespread it is, and how often trust is misused.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of sexual abuse. Please visit our website at http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us at contact@robertreeveslaw.com.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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