August 10, 2006 at 09:07:40

Clergy Sex Abuse - Sex Offenders & Mandated Reporters Who Failed to Protect Children - Now What?

SAVE AS FAVORITE

VIEW FAVORITES

By Debby Bodkin (about the author) Page 2 of 3 page(s)

opednews.com Permalink

Felony gun charges were filed against the principal's son 2 days after the report was made to law enforcement. We later learned that school administrators knew about the gun 2 months before my husband and failed to report the gun possession to law enforcement, as mandated by law. In fact, the administrator who failed to protect Joelle from sex abuses at Mater Dei High School also failed to report the illegal gun possession of the principal's son at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. It is obvious that the business and employment practices that allowed innocent children to be sexually abused by employees of religious institutions are alive and well. The administrators who failed to protect children from sex abuse or potential school zone violence, maintained their employment with the Diocese of Orange today.

In March 2002, the felony charges against the principal's son were dismissed by Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert Fitzgerald in the interests of justice, to allow the principal's son to enlist in the Air Force, the principal was transferred to Bishop Amat High School in the LA Catholic Archdiocese, my husband's 8 years of employment was terminated and soon thereafter, two of our children were later told that they could not finish their senior years at Santa Margarita Catholic High School and graduate with their Class of 2003.

Megan's Law, GPS tracking devices and predatory free zones are all proactive and effective resources to protect children; however, there is much more that we need to accomplish. As a society, we have political influences and must face the fact that laws relating to the protections of children and mandated reporters have not been strictly enforced. Political influences have interfered with protecting children the facts are now in we must correct the wrongs that have been committed.

We can no longer depend on the politically-connected to "do the legal and moral thing" -- it hasn't worked in the past and it will not work in the future. Children do not vote, children do not contribute to political campaigns and children cannot protect themselves they need us. It is time for a coalition of non-politically parents and adults to assist the victims and their families in protecting children from dangers in the future.

CONCERNS:

In order for children to be protected in the future from crimes and dangers, there are still lots of work to do.

1. Whistleblower protections for mandated reporters, parents, teachers and coaches, must be enforced. I have sent certified letters to Bishop Tod Brown (April 2004) and Cardinal William Levada (August 2005), a new Vatican official, requesting copies of written whistleblower protections that are available to report dangers relating to children in religious environments. To date, I have not received a response to my letters.

2. The politically-connected in our country are very busy fighting a war against terrorism, resolving immigration reforms and fundraising for the next election. In no way is this statement made in a disrespectful way. There are many things to do. Government agencies and legislators cannot possibly be expected to carry the full burden.

In my opinion, political influences have interfered with the enforcement of child protection laws and the court judicial systems. How many district attorneys, sheriffs, legislators, Judges and political leaders have violated conflicts of interest or interfered with due process of the law, to protect an employee of a religious institution from criminal and/or civil accountability?

3. The public's participation in matters of safety and concern should not be intimidated and chilled by attorneys representing politically-connected clients through our country's judicial system. Freedoms of speech, press and opinion are guaranteed to all persons equally, even the non-politically connected and children. However, in my personal family's experience alone, I can honestly say that certain guaranteed freedoms do not exist in Orange County. Maybe freedoms are available in other places maybe others have experienced the same types of retaliation and abuses our family has experienced. Do we have protections in place that allow the non-politically connected freedom to speak out and support victims of crimes and their families?

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Federal legislation nationwide, similar to California's 2003 Sex Abuse Law, returning civil due process in a civil court of law to all victims of past sex abuse crimes, committed by employees of religious institutions.

Without a history of official court records, thousands of sexual predators will never be legally required to register as sex offenders and will never be supervised by GPS tracking devices. Our children deserve to be safe. Without public disclosure in official court records, children and those who protect them will never be safe.

2. Federal legislation entitled, "Zero Tolerance- Failures to Protect Children." With this type of legislation, attorneys, mandated reporters, law enforcement officials, district attorneys, sheriffs, government officials, religious leaders and parents who fail to report child endangerment or abuse the judicial system by chilling the public's participation in matters relating to the protections of children, will be held legally accountable. There will be an official court record of those who have failed to protect children.

After all, adults and legislators have strictly enforced "Zero Tolerance" policies for children. Children make mistakes, attend school to learn from their mistakes but yet, Zero Tolerance policies are strictly enforced in public and private schools, without exceptions.

3. The National Association to Protect Children and PROTECT, offer a hotline, with available trained advocates, that can properly guide victims of crimes, their families, mandated reporters and victims of retaliation after the exercise of free speech, press and opinion. No attorneys -- no politically-connected adults.

1 | 2 | 3

www.catholics4justice.com

As an amateur writer, mother, wife and legal secretary for the past 25 years, my passion for the courage of clergy sex abuse victims, their families and mandated reporters, who made a choice to protect children, before their own career security and (more...)

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.