The Catholic Church today: an example of child protection
FACT: The Catholic Church is perhaps the safest environment for children today.
The measures implemented by the Catholic Church against aggressive and harassing behavior cannot be compared to the projects implemented by any other organization. Since the start of the sexual harassment crisis, the Catholic Church has:
Introduced a "zero tolerance" policy whereby any priest who is reasonably accused is immediately removed from his ministry. Law enforcement authorities are also notified.
Trained more than 5 million children, giving them skills to help them protect themselves from sexual exploitation.
Trained more than 2 million adults, including 99 percent of all priests, how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse.
Thoroughly screened more than 2 million individuals, including seminarians and priests.
Introduced "victim assistance coordinator" positions in every diocese to ensure that victims of harassment will be heard.
Conducts annual independent audits in all dioceses, monitoring compliance with the innovative 2002 charters for the protection of children and young people.
All dioceses have established sexual abuse control commissions, often made up of child welfare specialists, child psychologists, and sexual abuse experts, to investigate any lawsuits or claims of sexual abuse by priests.
No other organization's measures come close to the measures taken by the Catholic Church to protect the children entrusted to its care. In this regard, the Catholic Church of the 21st century is an example for other institutions to follow in the protection of young people
