In the newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Harry Flynn reflects on a study by The Associated Press which we looked at earlier here. In addition to the excerpts below, you can read Flynn's whole article article here. And U.S. News and World also has a good piece on the topic.
The preeminent global newswire service, The Associated Press, just completed a first-of-it-kind national study into child sex abuse in public schools. The results are shocking, real and, sadly, not surprising...
Here are some of the findings:
• There were more than 2,500 cases over just five years - from 2001 to 2005 - in which public school educators were punished for actions from bizarre to sadistic.
• There are more than 3 million public school educators, and there are nearly three sexually abusive educators for every school day.
• The accused are overwhelmingly male, popular and recognized for excellence.
• Quiet punishments allow many violators to move to other schools.
• More than half of the public school educators who were actually punished by their states were also convicted of crimes related to their misconduct.
• No one - not the schools, not the courts, not the states or federal governments - has found a surefire way to keep teachers who molest out of classrooms.
Comparisons with the sexual abuse crisis in our Catholic Church become automatic and instinctive in the public consciousness. First and foremost is this stubborn fact: Most public school teachers are honorable, hardworking professionals. They deserve our unqualified respect and admiration. We cannot forget this fact. This is the same with the 40,000 Catholic priests in the United States. Most are decent men who love Jesus and his people and simply try their best to minister to them, day in and day out.
We as a community, as a state and as a nation must embrace this plague of sexual abuse, come to understand it and its root causes, and work for the long-haul to eradicate it from our homes, schools, community groups and places of worship. City, state and federal legislators and officials need to dedicate themselves anew to this urgent problem.
Some important distinctions need to be made between the public school system and the Catholic Church as it relates to sexual abuse. The public school system is a behemoth enterprise compared to the Catholic Church in the United States. For example:
• There are 3 million public school teachers and only 40,000 Catholic priests.
• The public schools teach almost 50 million students annually, while the Catholic schools teach 1.4 million.
• Most sexual abuse cases related to the Catholic Church over the past 50 years occurred decades ago, while the AP investigation reported 2,500 cases in the public schools in a very recent five-year period.
According to the CNN article: "The AP found deeply entrenched resistance toward recognizing and fighting abuse. It starts in the school hallways, where fellow teachers look away or feel powerless to help. School administrators make behind-the-scenes deals to avoid lawsuits and other trouble. And in state capitols and Congress, lawmakers shy from tough state punishments or any cohesive national policy for fear of disparaging a vital profession..."
The Associated Press has done a huge service to the nation by undertaking and publishing this study on sexual misconduct in public schools, but it is just the first step...
While chairman of the national bishops' ad hoc committee on sexual abuse, I came to know many child advocates, mental health professionals, FBI agents and others in law enforcement, legislators, trial lawyers, reporters from The New York Times and other major, secular newspapers, Catholic reform groups like Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests and Voice of the Faithful, academics and others. Most have been focused on helping kids, victims and their families. It is time for all of these well-intentioned people and groups to dedicate their time and resources on the deeply entrenched problem of sexual abuse in our public schools in this country. Some 50 million children need our protection.
-Archbishop Harry Flynn
When I read articles like this ... I sometimes feel as if I'm in the twilight zone. WHY is there so much sexual abuse with CHILDREN??? I don't understand an adult's mind; teacher, priest, boy scout leader, father, grandfather, uncle, friend; that abuses a child. I don't understand child pornography. I just don't get any of it.
ReplyDeleteWhen the victims of childhood sexual abuse are manipulated and shamed into believing it is thier fault, how can we expect adults to recognize and deal with the reality and severity of it all. It is easy to blame priests for the misconduct, because I believe that when you bring the issue of celebacy into the situation, ignorance prevails and they make easy targets. I'm in no way suggestiong that priests recieved a raw deal. Although the priests who are good decent men of God DID receive a raw deal. They suffer because of the sick monsters who happen to be in the same occupation. There is a sad set of circumstances when we neglect to see any "red flags" when it comes to ANY adult that comes in contact with children. And that includes teachers, and sadly enough, family members. We need to educate our children, but we must also educate our adult selves into being more aware of what to look for and not give a blanket acceptance to any line of work that children are put at risk. Teachers, coaches, childcare, priests, teachers and family. Unfortunately, when it comes to our children's safety and innocence, we must think the worst and hope for the best. Our children are being destroyed one by one and there seems to be a huge discrepancy in who is caught and who is held accountable. This is an epidemic. And if it takes those of us who have been betrayed and abused to speak, no, to scream as loud and as long as we can to save our children then we must do it. Even though some of us still carry the shame from our own abuse, we must find a way to move beyond our own pain and help others before it happens. I hope God gives me the strength to be able to do that, and I hope everyone reading this tries to do the same. One child lost is too many.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with Regina's impassioned plea for both parents and children to learn how to recognize and protect themselves from predators. Our parish is giving us an opportunity to do just that on Tues. night, 11/6, at 7:00 when parents of children in grades 2,3, and 4 are invited to attend the parent education part of the "Talking About Touch" program which will be given to their children later. I would strongly encourage parents to attend. See this weeks bulletin for further details.
ReplyDeleteIs there anyone who went to the "Talking about Touch" program? My children have grown but would like to hear the thoughts of those who attended.
ReplyDeleteThanks