Saturday, June 20, 2009

Sexual Abuse

The same types of sexual abuse by teachers, religious clergy, and others in a position of authority are taking place all over the world. This is what RNW news has to say about the situation in the Netherlands:




* 400 cases of sexual abuse by Dutch clergy

More than 400 cases of sexual abuse by clergy have been reported in the Netherlands since 1995. The allegations were made on Friday night by the Dutch television program Zembla. Among the victims are people who sought council from both Catholic priests and Protestant ministers. The offenders include clergy holding a variety of functions and ranks.

So far only 200 complaints have been filed, 95 of which were deemed to be closed. Zembla says churches have been keen to hush up all the cases. The program found that the independent committee handling the complains of Catholic victims last year resigned en bloc. The committee members felt that, rather than helping the victims, they were being pressured to protect the church against any claims.
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