Sexual Abuse Survivor and Advocate Applauds State Leaders for Child Protection Legislation as she Embarks on Fifth Statewide “Walk in My Shoes” Journey

March 12, 2014/in Florida /by SOL Reform

Lauren Book says Florida Leads Nation in its Commitment to Child Protection

PR Newswire

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 11, 2014

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Just days away from beginning her fifth “Walk in My Shoes” journey across Florida, sexual abuse advocate Lauren Book recapped how far Florida has come in strengthening the law to protect children and applauded legislative leaders for swiftly passing sweeping legislation to strengthen Florida’s process for civilly committing sexually violent predators.

“I am proud to live in a state where our elected officials make protecting our children from dangerous predators a top priority,” Book said. “When you look at the laws passed over the past five years, it’s clear that we’ve made a big impact and Florida is a safer place because of it.”

As the House prepared to take up a package of comprehensive, bipartisan reform legislation to protect children and punish offenders, Book held a news conference with legislative leaders outside the Florida House Chambers. Book, who founded Lauren’s Kids to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse and advocate for change, begins her fifth annual 1,500-mile “Walk in My Shoes” walk across Florida on March 16 in Key West. The Walk ends on April 22 on the steps of the Historic Capitol in Tallahassee.

Book used the occasion to recap legislative milestones of the past five years and to praise the 2014 Legislature for making child protective legislation a priority from the opening day of the legislative session.

The 1,500-mile “Walk in My Shoes” statewide journey raises awareness about the devastating effects of child sexual abuse, educates communities about prevention, encourages victims to speak up and get help, and promotes passage of tougher laws to protect children and punish perpetrators.

“As both a parent and a legislator, ensuring the safety of children is one of my top priorities,” said Speaker of the House Will Weatherford. “I appreciate Lauren’s support for our ‘protecting vulnerable Floridians’ agenda.”

This bipartisan legislative package passed through the Florida Senate unanimously on the opening day of session.

“We walked into this session knowing that we wanted to address the laws governing the treatment of sexually violent predators,” said Senate President Don Gaetz. “By passing this legislation on day one, we’ve made it clear that this is an important issue and we will not allow dangerous predators who harm our children to walk the streets.”

Since the first “Walk in My Shoes” statewide journey five years ago, Lauren’s Kids has successfully advocated for the passage of many landmark laws, including:

2010 – Extending Statute of Limitations: Eliminated the statute of limitations for both civil and criminal prosecutions for crimes committed against children under 16.
2011 – Walk in Their Shoes Act: Expanded the admissibility of collateral crime evidence in cases where a person is charged with child molestation or a sexual offense.
2012 – Protection of Vulnerable Persons: Requires all Floridians report known or suspected child abuse and if a report is not made, the non-reporter will be charged with a felony. Also requires colleges and universities report abuse or face up to a $1 million fine.
2013 – Expanding the Hearsay Exception to Adolescent Victims of Sexual Abuse: Allows an out of court statement made by a victim up to the age of 16 as admissible evidence in a civil or criminal proceeding dependent upon certain findings of the court.

This year, Lauren’s Kids is championing legislation to close loopholes in the justice system, mandate community supervision of sex offenders and require college campuses to notify students and staff about sexual offenders who live nearby.

In addition, the organization is also supporting legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations for certain sexual crimes committed against a child younger than 16, increase mandatory minimum sentences for sexually violent predators and those who offend against people with developmental disabilities, and expand the identifying information sex offenders are required to register with law enforcement to include things such as email addresses, screen names and information on the vehicles offenders can access.

“We recognize that no single law or policy can end the scourge of child sexual abuse from our state,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, chair of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee. “But that must never stop us from being catalysts for change and continuing to push for legislation that moves us closer to a zero tolerance policy.”

Book said she is gratified by the large number of state leaders supporting these important measures. In addition to Speaker Weatherford, President Gaetz and Rep. Gaetz, she acknowledged the efforts of Sens. Lizbeth Benacquisto, Rob Bradley, Garrett Richter, Jack Latvala, Joe Negron, Eleanor Sobel, Oscar Braynon, Greg Evers and Denise Grimsley, as well as Reps. Gayle Harrell, Travis Hutson,Daphne Campbell and Dane Eagle.

To download the Lauren’s Kids multimedia package, visit www.laurenskids.org/downloads.

Lauren’s Kids
Lauren’s Kids is a nonprofit organization that works to prevent abuse and help survivors heal. The organization, which has offices in Aventura and Tallahassee, Florida, was started by Lauren Book, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who endured six years of abuse at the hands of her nanny. Lauren’s organization offers a 24-hour crisis hotline, prevention curriculum, annual 1,500-mile awareness walk and legislative advocacy. For more information, visit laurenskids.org.

SOURCE Lauren’s Kids

this report.

March 11, 2014/in Uncategorized /by SOL Reform

Please come out to support these brave survivors whose claims were recently vindicated in this report.

and to demand SOL Reform. If you cannot make it, please contact those you know in Georgia to attend in support.

Atlanta News Conference, Thursday, March 13, 2014

A Group of Men, Who Were the Subjects of District Attorney’s Explosive Report About Sexual Abuse and Assault by Successful Karate Instructor (Who Is Still Teaching Children in Camden County, Georgia); Rep. Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine); and Prof. Marci Hamilton, Will Hold Press Conference

What: On Thursday, March 13, 2014, a press conference will be held

to introduce to the public the latest group of sex abuse victims shut out of court by unfair statutes of limitations, and to give them a voice to warn parents that their children remain at risk from the perpetrator who abused them;

to hold legislators accountable for failing to enact statutes of limitations reform for child sex abuse victims this year;

and to lay out a plan to increase justice for all victims of child sexual abuse.

When: Thursday, March 13, 2014

1:30 pm

Where: Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta, GA

Capitol Rotunda

Who: Victims of karate instructor who owns successful karate school, whose claims of sex abuse were found credible in District Attorney’s recent report, but who may not file criminal charges or file a civil case because of the statutes of limitation

Rep. Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine) (sponsor of H.B. 771)

Prof. Marci A. Hamilton, leading national expert on statutes of limitations for child sex abuse, author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children

“These men are heroes. They suffered as children at the hands of their trusted and charismatic karate instructor, could not come forward for years like so many victims of child sex abuse, and now they are speaking out because they fear that their perpetrator may still be abusing children,” said Prof. Marci Hamilton. “They are shut out of the justice system by an arbitrary deadline, the criminal and civil statutes of limitation. These survivors are proof positive that Georgia has more work to do to protect children. It is an either-or choice: protect children or predators.”

“I want to make the public aware of the latest sex abuse victims who have been shut out of Georgia’s courts. Children are at risk,” said Rep. Spencer. “The District Attorney’s office recently released a report about sexual abuse by a local karate instructor who is still teaching children. According to her report, there is sufficient grounds for prosecution. However, these victims may not file criminal charges or file a civil case because of Georgia’s unfair statute of limitations for child sex abuse. We cannot let this continue to happen to our children.”

Contact: Betsy Lynch (404) 656-3996 betsy.lynch@house.ga.gov

Contact: Marci Hamilton (215) 353-8984 (cell) hamilton02@aol.com

DA vindicates victims of karate instructor

March 11, 2014/in Georgia /by SOL Reform

View PDF of Letter from DA

Archdiocese to end tuition aid to children of abuse victims

March 11, 2014/in Pennsylvania /by SOL Reform

Archdiocese to end tuition aid to children of abuse victims

JEREMY ROEBUCK, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

POSTED: Tuesday, March 11, 2014, 1:08 AM

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will end its eight-year practice of providing parochial school tuition to children of clergy sex-abuse victims at the end of this school year, citing low participation and a desire to refocus its spending on efforts that directly aid the abused.

The news, quietly announced to participants last spring, has drawn the ire of beneficiaries who count the decision as yet another betrayal by church officials. And it has come as a surprise to people who were potentially eligible for help but say they were never told about the program.

“It was the least they could do for me,” said Matthew Woodruff, 49, who testified before a Philadelphia jury in 2012 about his childhood abuse at the hands of his parish priest in Bucks County. “I never got a nickel or an apology for what happened to me as a kid.”

Since 2010, Woodruff’s 15-year-old son and daughter have attended parochial schools in Levittown, most recently Conwell-Egan Catholic High School – a school he says he never could have afforded without the tuition assistance offered to victims.

With that aid cut off, he faced the prospect of uprooting his teenagers in the midst of their high school years.

Church officials rebuffed months of repeated requests to plead his case with Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, he said.

But after The Inquirer began asking questions about the tuition-relief program – and Woodruff’s case in particular – church officials told him they would continue to cover his children’s costs through graduation.

Ken Gavin, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said Chaput had been considering “for some time” the decision to grandfather Woodruff’s children and those of other participating victims through the tuition relief program’s closure.

“This action is another clear signal of the archbishop’s commitment to victims of clergy sexual abuse,” Gavin said in a statement.

The archdiocese first began extending tuition to families of clergy sex-abuse victims in 2006 under Cardinal Justin Rigali.

The decision was made three years after a Philadelphia grand jury excoriated church leaders for repeatedly failing to address accusations against pedophile priests in their ranks.

Since then, 13 children of abuse victims have taken advantage of the offer, accepting $272,000 in tuition payments, church officials said.

Typically, a year’s tuition ranges from $3,500 for parishioners with students at the elementary level to $6,150 for a high school student.

Fewer than six victims’ families are currently receiving tuition through the program, despite the fact that the archdiocese touts it in literature outlining services offered to clergy sex-abuse victims, Gavin said.

But at least a half-dozen victims and advocates said in interviews that they had never been told of the program.

“I’ve heard of individual cases where some victims have negotiated unusual assistance with the archdiocese, but I had never heard of a standing tuition program,” said Marci Hamilton, a lawyer who has represented several victims in lawsuits against the archdiocese.

One Bucks County participant, who asked to remain anonymous because of his history of sexual abuse, said he only learned the church would pay for his children’s schooling through talking to Woodruff. They received four years of assistance before graduating, he said.

“I was a little surprised they were offering it,” the man said. “They had been very public with the counseling they offered. Tuition, though, was not really well-publicized.”

Once they learned of the program, enrolling could not have been simpler, said Woodruff and the other victim. Each year, they called the archdiocese’s Office for Child and Youth Protection and asked to register for the forthcoming school year.

Both men said they were never asked to prove their identities or provide any information about their past allegations against priests.

“They just said they really wanted to show that individual abusers do not represent the whole church,” said the Bucks County victim. “They were glad to hear I was still interested in sending my kids to Catholic school, despite what had happened to me.”

The decision to end the program in June came last year as the archdiocese struggled to dig itself out of a financial hole that has prompted layoffs, property sales, and the closure of parishes and schools.

Gavin said a financial review of the archdiocese had prompted a reevaluation of how money set aside for victim services was spent.

“The core mission of the [Victim’s Assistance Program] is to provide for healing of the individual,” he said. “As such, resources were directed toward modes of assistance directly related to that goal.”

He stressed that the school payments were just one of the myriad efforts the archdiocese’s Office for Child and Youth Protection has made to combat sexual abuse and help victims, including offers of therapy and counseling to victims and mandatory training for its thousands of clergy and lay employees.

To Woodruff, that explanation is lacking.

Despite his abuse, he continued to send his children to Catholic school determined not to let what happened to him at the hands of a priest diminish his faith.

Even with his children’s education assured, he still bristles at the church’s decision to remove even one benefit offered to victims.

“I didn’t raise the issue just to get what I want,” he said. “The fact that they changed their position just for a few … it seems insincere.”

http://m.azstarnet.com/ap/national/philadelphia-archdiocese-to-end-free-tuition-for-abuse-victims-families/article_9d4eef53-726d-5223-be48-2c940a47b11a.html?mobile_touch=true

‘Boss Bill’ prevents employer’s religious beliefs from infringing on women’s health care decisions

March 11, 2014/in New York /by SOL Reform

Now if only NY would not defer to the bishops on child abuse, it could be a moral leader! – Professor Marci A. Hamilton

‘Boss Bill’ prevents employer’s religious beliefs from infringing on women’s health care decisions

March 10, 2014

With the Women’s Equality Act stalled in the Senate Labor Committee, advocates want to ensure that the reproductive health rights secured by the Affordable Care Act aren’t threatened in New York.

Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, unveiled the “Boss Bill” (S.6578-a/A.8769) on Wednesday that would ban employers who claim religious freedom as the reason for not providing health insurance access to women’s reproductive health care such as birth control.

“Now is the time for New York to make clear that a boss’ personal beliefs do not trump a woman’s health and access to the health care they need,” said Krueger. “The fact that I take a job with somebody who may not share my views about family planning and reproductive health doesn’t mean they get to tell me I can’t use a certain kind of contraception, I can’t access certain kinds of health care or they will fire me. That’s completely unacceptable but currently protected under New York state Labor Law.”

The legislation was drafted following news reports of lawsuits by employers looking to deny female employees birth control coverage, including the company Hobby Lobby, which is suing the federal government claiming the Affordable Care Act birth control mandate infringes on religious freedom.

“We’re talking about women’s reproductive health care and access to that includes infertility, and whether or not your boss agrees with your rights to access infertility technologies. [We’re] talking about our employees being able to access contraception, pharmaceuticals, procedures or basic health care,” said M. Tracey Brooks, CEO of Family Planning Advocates of New York. “This is an issue being touted in religious freedoms, and the one thing I’d like to address today is that employers are not allowed to impose their own religious freedom on somebody who chooses not to practice or to practice a different religion in the United States.”

The group Concerned Clergy for Choice applauded the legislators’ move to protect women’s reproductive rights, saying the proposed legislation protects the basic rights of women.

“Our faith urges us to protect the worker, just as the Bible teaches,” said Rabbi Dennis Ross, director of Concerned Clergy for Choice. “When a woman’s health insurance comes from the workplace, she earned that insurance, just like she earned her wages. The insurance belongs to her and the decision to use birth control belongs to her. Another person’s religious restrictions have no place in her private, personal medical care.”

Advocates stated not passing the bill is ensuring that employers who hire from the general public can discriminate against women — such as unwed mothers and women who are looking to start a family. They also say the bill is about protecting the privacy of women in the work place and keeping a professional relationship between employees and employers.

“State legislators, extremists in Congress, they’re colluding to strip away our reproductive rights, one piece at a time,” said Andrea Miller, president of NARAL Pro-Choice NY. “At the same time they have joined in a nationwide effort to make it possible, in fact, make it part of the law to allow discrimination in the context of employers being able to essentially undermine, if not eliminate, a woman’s ability to make reproductive health decisions and act against her because she makes her own reproductive health decisions.”

“This is a very important piece of legislation, something we never thought we would have to move forward to implement,” Jaffee said. “This will protect an individual’s rights to access basic health services without interference. This underscores the need to also move forward and pass the full Women’s Equality Act as well. Employers should not have the right to make healthcare decisions for their employees. Denying millions of women access to affordable birth control is denying them access to fair and preventive health care.”

10 with Minnesota ties on Catholic group’s list of accused child sex abusers

March 9, 2014/in Minnesota, MN Post Window /by SOL Reform

“More fruits of MN window. Truth comes out” – Professor Marci A. Hamilton

10 with Minnesota ties on Catholic group’s list of accused child sex abusers

By Raya Zimmerman and Will Ashenmacher
Pioneer Press
POSTED: 03/08/2014 12:01:00 AM CST | UPDATED: ABOUT 5 HOURS AGO

Ten men who worked at Minnesota churches and religious organizations are on a list that an international Roman Catholic community released of members facing child sex abuse allegations.

Crosier Province, which has a community of brothers and priests in Onamia, Minn., voluntarily released the list Friday, according to St. Paul-based law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates.

The list includes eight members previously disclosed after a third-party investigation in 2002 and 11 current, former and deceased members who have allegations against them.

Crosiers work in education, chaplain service, pastoral ministry, campus ministry, jail ministry, immigration services and elder care, according to Crosier Province.

Anderson & Associates has won settlements from Catholic archdioceses nationwide for victims of clergy sexual abuse.

“The voluntary release of names is a positive step forward in child protection, and abuse survivors, who are suffering in secrecy, silence and shame, now know they can come forward to get help, and that they are not alone,” attorney Jeff Anderson said in a statement.

The accused served in several states, including Arizona, Indiana, Michigan and New York. There also is a Crosier community in Phoenix.

The accused brothers and priests with Minnesota ties are:

— Michael Paquet, who served in various roles at St. Odilia Parish in Shoreview and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 1977 to 2002. He lives in Canada.

— Cornelius DeVenster, who attended Crosier Seminary in Onamia, Minn., from 1947 to 1960 and provided “weekend assistance” to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 1983 until his death in 1988.

— Wendell Mohs, who was a member of the Crosier Seminary from 1974 to 1980, served with Epiphany Parish in Coon Rapids from 1980 to 1982 and was a member of the Crosier Community of Onamia for a time in 1982 before he left the order. He lives in Minnesota.

— Gerald Funcheon, an assistant pastor and teacher at St. Odilia Church in Shoreview from 1970 to 1973, a teacher at Crosier Seminary in Onamia from 1979 to 1980, a teacher at Cathedral High School in St. Cloud from 1980 to 1982 and a parochial vicar at St. Stephen in Anoka from 1985 to 1986. He lives in Missouri.

— Ron Melancon, who attended the Crosier Seminary in Onamia from 1972 to 1975 and was a member of the Crosier community there from 1978 to 1980. He lives in Louisiana.

— Urban Schmitt, a pastor at Holy Family in Barnum and Holy Trinity in Moose Lake from 1964 to 1966 and a parochial vicar at St. Odilia in Shoreview from 1966 to 1973. He died in 1999.

— Roger Vaughn, a member of the Crosier Seminary from 1977 to 1980, a weekend priest for the Central Minnesota TEC Program from 1979 to 1984 and a parochial vicar at St. Peter in St. Cloud from 1980 to 1984. He lives in New York.

— Eugene Hambrock, who belonged to the Crosier Seminary in Onamia from 1964 to 1967 and was a member of the Crosier community there from 1985 to 1987. He died in 1999.

— Joseph Lendacky, who attended the Crosier Seminary in Onamia from 1946 to 1948 and was a member of the Crosier community there from 1950 until his death in 1989.

— Anton Schik, who was a member of the Crosier Seminary and Community from 1932 to 1948. He died in 1971.

Raya Zimmerman can be reached at 651-228-5524. Follow her at Twitter.com/RayaZimmerman.

Latest News

Lauren Book says Florida Leads Nation in its Commitment to Child Protection

JEREMY ROEBUCK, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER