First, a trial has begun in Portland Oregon against the Boy Scouts brought by a man who, when he was about 12, was sexually abused by a scout leader – a convicted pedophile who admits to doing this. The New York Times reports that “Scout leaders have been found guilty of sexual abuse crimes in various cases across the country for more than two decades” and now, lawyers say, files show that this went on with the knowledge of national and regional scout leaders. This was even after complaints of abuse arose, and “sometimes even after they had been convicted of sexual abuse.” They also say claims of abuse began “as early as the 1920s.” (The Boy Scouts say “the files demonstrate proactive efforts to stop it.”)
Meanwhile in Delaware, fallout continues in the case of Dr.
Earl B. Bradley, the pediatrician who allegedly raped or sexually abused 103
children. The dean of Widener
University School of Law is “independently examining how the doctor continued
to practice despite at least a decade of questionable behavior.” In fact, a lawsuit brought on behalf of
a 3-year-old girl has now been filed against the Medical Society of
Delaware and three Delaware doctors saying, among other things, that they
failed to act on warnings of Bradley’s “unprofessional conduct,” including a
complaint filed by Bradley’s sister (which the medical society denies).
Speaking of statutes of limitations, this
week a hearing was held in Connecticut that would “make Connecticut the fourth
state in the nation to eliminate the civil statute of limitations in child
sexual abuse cases.” Some witnesses raised the Roman
Catholic Church scandals.
Speaking of which, The Daily Beast reported on St. Patrick’s
Day that in the United States, “more than $1 billion has been paid to victims”
with most receiving “$5,000 and $500,000, depending on the length and level of
abuse.”
But in Ireland, where a report last year said “abuse in church-run homes
in Ireland was ‘endemic,’” the Bishop of Ferns, Denis Brennan, has asked parishioners
to help the Church pay for compensation to abuse victims, prompting
denunciations from outspoken singer Sinead O’Connor (a victim of childhood
violence herself,) who said, “To expect little old ladies and little old men to
cough up money for sex abuse scandals is outrageous.”
In a country with a strong civil justice system grounded in notions of accountability, like here
in the U.S., it’s hard to imagine such a thing. We’re just sayin’
The Let Go...Let Peace Come In Foundation is a newly formed nonprofit with a mission to help heal and support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse worldwide. We are actively seeking adult survivors who would be willing to post a childhood photo and caption, their story, or their creative expressions to our website www.letgoletpeacecomein.org. By uniting survivors from across the globe we can help provide a stronger and more powerful voice to those survivors who have not yet found the courage to speak out. Together we can; together we should; together we NEED to stand up and be counted. Please visit our site for more details on how you can send us your submissions.
Thank you for everything you do!
Gretchen Paules
Administrative Director
Let Go...Let Peace Come In Foundation
111 Presidential Blvd., Suite 212
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Posted by: Gretchen | March 22, 2010 at 10:08 AM