The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, has welcomed the government’s move to make it compulsory for professionals who work with children to report suspected child abuse.
Teachers, social workers and religious figures such as rabbis could face sanctions under proposed new legislation if they do not report allegations of abuse.
Rabbi Mirvis stated, “As I have often said, protecting children from harm is a primary responsibility of any community. There is no moral ambiguity about the imperative to report child abuse and there should be no legal ambiguity either.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced on Monday she would be implementing key recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse which reported just over two years ago.
The Chief Rabbi said, “Religious leaders carry with them profound responsibilities, and foremost among these is safeguarding the vulnerable. The rabbinate hold positions of trust within our community, so they must be at the forefront of implementing and advocating for measures that protect children from harm and ensure survivors receive proper support.”
He added, “Our religious and moral obligations demand nothing less than complete commitment to preventing abuse and supporting those who have suffered. That’s why I fully support mandatory reporting. Silence cannot be an option where the safety of our children is concerned.”
Progressive Judaism’s joint chief executives, Rabbis Josh Levy and Charley Baginsky, also backed mandatory reporting: “This accords with our existing practice — which is that any safeguarding concern would always be reported to statutory authorities. We welcome it as a change in the law.”
They said, “The most important consideration is the wellbeing of young people.”
Erica Marks, chief executive of Jewish Sexual Abuse Support, also welcomed “any action to ensure any of the recommendations are implemented, as victims and survivors have waited too long for this to happen. To safeguard our children, it is clear this needs to happen across the UK, encompassing all organisations and professionals who work with children, without exception.”
As a member of #ActOnIICSA steering group — a national body of organisations supporting victims and survivors of sexual abuse — JSAS, she said, was “working closely with government ministers and the chair of the IICSA report, Professor Alexis Jay, to push for the recommendations of the IICSA report to happen”.
But the Federation of Synagogues has reservations about mandatory disclosure.
In a statement, it said the organisation and its rabbinic leader, Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman had been “in the forefront of efforts within the community to eradicate the scourge of sexual abuse – this includes speaking out against perpetrators, publicly condemning those that cover up abuse and supporting victims that choose to report the perpetrators to the authorities.”
It added: “At the same time this societal imperative needs to be balanced with providing adequate support to victims. Victims of sexual abuse generally have to go through a process of coming to terms with their suffering, and they need to do this on their own terms. Counselling and emotional support are crucial to this process. This process cannot be short-circuited.
"There is a concern that requiring mandatory reporting at a first disclosure will have the unintended consequence of deterring victims and survivors from disclosing their ordeals to their religious mentors. If someone is not yet ready to go to the authorities, but needs to confide in their rabbi, they will be reluctant to do so if they know the rabbi is required by law to report their conversation. “
