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Child sex abuse report is 'urgent wake-up call', says Chief Rabbi
Rabbi Mirvis says that abusers must be reported
September 2, 2021 19:41
Rabbi Mirvis says that abusers must be reported
September 2, 2021 19:41Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has called the report into religious organisations by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse an "urgent wake-up call" and said abuse must not be tolerated.
Rabbi Mirvis was cited in the report, which was published on Thursday, as providing a good example of leadership on countering abuse.
Reacting to the report he said it was "an urgent wake-up call for faith communities across the UK"..
The report confirmed "beyond any doubt that perpetrators of abuse find it all too easy to hide in an environment where religious institutions command a great deal of respect and where a hierarchy of religious leadership is in place," he said.
"These, together with a variety of other cultural factors, including a power imbalance and fear of reputational damage, have made our children more vulnerable to the scourge of abuse. This cannot be allowed to continue any longer."
While the IICSA recognised that some organisations were better prepared to deal with abuse than others, he stressed that it was "incumbent upon us all to read it in detail, consider what we can learn and most importantly of all, respond with action.
"The failure to protect our children, and to report abuse where it occurs, is a complete abrogation of our responsibility to God and to one another. It cannot and must not be tolerated.”
Steven Wilson, chief executive of the United Synagogue, which welcomed the report, said, "There is an ethos within the charity that all forms of child abuse must be prevented, and, when suspected, must be reported. #
"Despite our approach, we know that more can always be done to ensure our young people are safe from harm and so we are constantly reviewing our processes and procedures to proactively protect children from abuse."
The US, he said, "would support more formal and proportionate regulation of child protection within religious organisations and would be pleased to work with the inquiry on this important piece of work.”
Shelley Marsh, director of Jewish youth network Reshet, which gave evidence to the inquiry, said, "Much of our community has worked hard to improve safeguarding and welcomes these recommendations.
"The Reshet safeguarding Commitments are embedding across the community and our doors remain open to all parts of the community who want to improve safeguarding. However, we must not be complacent – there is more work to be done as illustrated today."