New Bill by Senator Jerry Hill Requires Clergy to Report Child Abuse and Neglect Under Any Circumstances
February 20, 2019
For Immediate Release – Office of Sta
te Senator Jerry Hill – February 20, 2019
Media Contact: Leslie Guevarra, 415-298-3404, leslie.guevarra@sen.ca.gov
New Bill by Senator Jerry Hill Requires Clergy to Report Child Abuse and Neglect Under Any Circumstances
SACRAMENTO – State Senator Jerry Hill introduced legislation today to
require clergy of all faiths to report suspected child abuse or neglect
to law enforcement without regard to the circumstances under which the
clergy member learns of the suspected crime.
Although current law
includes clergy members in the list of 46 professionals – which also
includes physicians, teachers, peace officers, therapists and social
workers – who are mandated to report suspected child abuse or neglect to
law enforcement, the law also exempts clergy from such reporting if
they gain their knowledge or suspicion of the crimes during “a
penitential communication.”
Senate Bill 360 would remove that exemption.
“SB 360 is about the safety and protection of children,” said Senator
Hill, D-San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. “Individuals who harm
children or are suspected of harming children must be reported so a
timely investigation by law enforcement can occur. The law should apply
equally to all professionals who have been designated as mandated
reporters of these crimes – with no exceptions, period. The exemption
for clergy only protects the abuser and places children at further
risk.”
Outcry from survivors of childhood sex abuse has led to
growing revelations of the extent of the crisis in faith communities
where clergy have been accused of sexually abusing children or of
perpetuating the problem by covering up for alleged sex abusers who are
clergy themselves or lay members of the faith.
“This is a public
safety issue for all religions, businesses and governments, and it needs
to end so we can protect our children,” said a California man who
described being raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, was allegedly abused by
two members of his church as a child, and was devastated when elders did
not pursue the matter. Instead, he was shunned for speaking out. Now,
he is a survivor advocate for Stop Child Abuse – Advocates for Reform
and Safety, better known as SCAARS.
Also speaking in support of
the legislation, Ethan Gregory Dodge, technical director and a
co-founder of the Truth and Transparency Foundation, said: “The TTF
unequivocally supports California SB 360. It both protects survivors of
abuse and holds religious institutions accountable while respecting the
constitutional right to religious freedom. Religious repentance should
always include restitution, and in all criminal situations, like that of
abuse, restitution can only be made when justice is served by the laws
of the land.”
“The Child-Friendly Faith Project fully supports
Senator Hill’s bill that requires clergy to report suspected cases of
child abuse and neglect, without exception,” said the Rev. Dr. Jaime
Romo, president of the Child-Friendly Faith Project. “For too long,
religious authorities have been protected from reporting these cases,
leaving children vulnerable and unsafe. Like teachers, physicians and
other mandatory reporters, members of the clergy often spend much time
with families, and so they are in an ideal position to notice or learn
if a child is being, or has been, harmed.”
Judy
Klapperich-Larson, vice president of Survivor Network of those Abused by
Priests’ Board of Directors, expressed strong support of the
legislation on behalf of SNAP, which was founded 31 years ago and now
has supporters throughout the world.
“Children cannot make sense
of the trauma they are suffering,” said Ms. Klapperich-Larson. “They
have been told to go to a trusted adult when something bad has been done
to them. We grownups must be the voices of the traumatized children
every time a child confides in us, no exceptions. If a child believes no
one will help them, they hold the secret and shame inside and question
their perception of reality. Those children grow up to be broken adults,
coping however they can with what was done to them, distrusting people
in authority, self medicating, acting out against others. If it takes a
village to raise a child, it also takes a village to abuse a child.
Don't let our abused children feel alone and helpless in their trauma
filled worlds.”
The call for transparency and greater
accountability is gaining momentum. A report by a Pennsylvania grand
jury in August 2018 on sexual abuse by Catholic priests spurred
investigations by attorneys general in more than a dozen states.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced in November that
his office would be collecting reports from state residents about
incidents of clergy sex abuse, although the office has not confirmed or
denied whether it is pursuing an investigation. Several Catholic
dioceses in California have publicly released the names of priests who
have been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children; the most
recent was the Diocese of Oakland, which issued its list on Monday.
At the Vatican, clergy sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults
will be the subject this week of a summit called by Pope Francis for
presidents of Catholic bishops’ conferences worldwide. The pope
defrocked former American cardinal and archbishop of Washington Theodore
McCarrick on Saturday, after the church found him guilty of sexually
abusing minors and seminarians over a period spanning decades.
The bill will be available online within 24 hours at
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/
Text of SB 360:
https://sd13.senate.ca.gov/…/…/files/sb360_bill_language.pdf
Fact Sheet for SB 360:
https://sd13.senate.ca.gov/…/sd13…/files/sb360_factsheet.pdf "
This is a long overdue bill and one that needs to be passed!
The F.A.C.T. Team
