The unprecedented measures undertaken by the United States Bishops five years ago in Dallas to prevent sexual abuse in the Church have had a positive effect, according to studies tracking abuse claims in the United States dioceses.
A report issued in April by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) indicated that the number of abuse cases reported in the United States had dropped for the third consecutive year.
“Those who see the bishops in a negative light refuse to acknowledge the positive steps they have taken to address the problem of child sexual abuse and refuse to see the evidence that demonstrates that accomplishments have been made,” Teresa M. Kettelkamp, executive director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote earlier this year when the 2006 report was issued.
Of the abuse cases that were reported nationwide in the last year, 14 (2%), concerned young people who were minors in 2006. In the Diocese of Camden, there have been no reported cases of abuse involving minors since the Dallas Charter five years ago.
“The last known incident of abuse of a minor occurred twelve years ago, in 1995,” according to Andrew Walton, spokesman for the diocese. “The comprehensive preventive measures implemented by the Church clearly are working.” Since the Charter, there has been just one instance of a cleric being removed from ministry in the Diocese of Camden due to an accusation of abuse, an accusation brought by an adult alleging abuse four decades ago.
“Often times, you will hear or read that ‘new’ abuse claims have been brought forward, but in most cases across the country, these are not current cases of abuse, but past cases that are being brought forward by adults.” According to the studies, most abuse claims date to the two decade period between 1960-1979. Walton said the dioceses must build on the progress made since the Charter.
“Even as we take note of this great progress, we must keep up our prevention efforts, as well as our outreach to those who have been harmed in any way, no matter how long ago the abuse might have occurred,” he said. In addition to Bishop Galante’s meetings with victim survivors and their families, the diocese has paid more than $500,000 toward counseling and therapy for victims of abuse, overseen by a Victims Assistance Coordinator and a Clinical Advisory Panel.
The diocese also has established an Office of Safe Environment for Children, Youth and Adults under the direction of Rod J. Herrera, a licensed clinical social worker. The office oversees the diocese’s prevention programs, including conducting background checks on clergy, employees and volunteers, safe-environment training and more. More than 8,000 individuals have had finger-printed criminal history background checks completed since 2002 and more than 62,000 individuals have received safe-environment training, according to the diocese.
The United States dioceses also have subjected their policies and procedures to outside review ensure their compliance with the Charter provisions. Audits conducted in 2003, 2004, and 2005 by the Gavin Group of Boston found the vast majority of dioceses had fulfilled the requirements of the Charter. The Diocese of Camden was found fully compliant in each of the three audits. “No other organization has undertaken as massive and comprehensive an effort to protect children and young people as has the Catholic Church, even though data suggests that sexual abuse is significantly less prevalent in the Church than in other segments of the society,” said Walton.
A 2004 study by professor Carole Shakeshaft of Hoffstra University, for example, found that a child is 100 times more likely to be abused in a public school setting than by a Catholic priest. Studies also have shown that family members are the most likely abusers of children. “We know that sexual abuse is a societal-wide problem and that clergy are less likely than others to abuse, but the Church believes it has a moral obligation to do whatever possible to provide the safest possible environment for young people,” said Walton.