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Religious figures should not be exempt from 'mandatory reporting' of child sexual abuse
Recommendations of seven-year inquiry would make it compulsory for rabbis to report abuse to the authorities
October 20, 2022 13:48
Recommendations of seven-year inquiry would make it compulsory for rabbis to report abuse to the authorities
October 20, 2022 13:48People who work with children should be compelled to report incidences of sexual abuse to the relevant authorities, a national inquiry has recommended.
If the findings of the seven-year Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) are accepted by government, it would become mandatory for rabbis or teachers in Jewish schools to report suspicions of abuse.
The inquiry has already published a number of reports including one on religious organisations after hearing evidence from several Jewish institutions.
In its final report published on Thursday, the inquiry has recommended mandatory reporting as well as the creation of a Child Protection Authority.
It rejected the case for exempting religious figures from the requirement to report abuse.
“Some core participants and witnesses argued that a mandatory reporting law ought to provide exemptions for some faith-based settings or personnel,” it noted.
Instead, it took the view that “neither the freedom of religion or belief nor the rights of parents with regard to the education of their children can ever justify the ill-treatment of children or prevent governmental authorities from taking measures necessary to protect children from harm.” Mandatory reporting should be “an absolute obligation”.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has previously said that failure to report abuse is “a complete abnegation of our responsibility to God and to one another”.
The inquiry, chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, “repeatedly found that allegations and indicators of child sexual abuse were under-reported by adults who ought to have reported them,” the report stated.
Evidence from other countries “supports the view that England and Wales ought to introduce mandatory reporting laws to enable the police and local authorities to better identify children in need of protection”.
Summarising the conclusions of its earlier report on religious organisations, IICSA said that “there were significant barriers to effective reporting of child sexual abuse, including victim-blaming and notions of shame and honour. In some religious traditions and communities, children are not taught about sex or sexual relationships.”
While some communities had effective systems in place for responding to child sexual abuse, “this was not the case across the board”. Very few had arrangements in place for providing counselling or therapy sessions for victims and survivors.
Responding to the report, Sharon Daniels, head of safeguarding and wellbeing for the Movement for Reform Judaism, supported the call for mandatory reporting..
"At MRJ we have the expectation that our rabbis and cantors, lay leaders and youth leaders would always report any safeguarding concerns through the statutory authorities," she said.
"We have a robust audit policy to ensure all of our synagogues and MRJ ourselves, have appropriate preventative and responsive measures in place, in line with best practice. Furthermore, we are continuously working to improve our practice in this area."
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