Vicki Polin: Church hurts victims of all faiths
Vicki Polin / Dick Dowling
Commentary
Vicki Polin: Church hurts victims of all faiths
By Vicki Polin
Baltimore Examiner
March 3, 2008
BALTIMORE - I was totally shocked at (Maryland Catholic Conference Director) Dick Dowling’s manipulation of words when he lied about Del. Eric Bromwell’s bill (offering a window in civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims.) As a member of the Child Victims Voice of Maryland Coalition, I will say that not one trial lawyer has been involved in our coalition or advocated for this bill.
Those who have been advocating for the bill are survivors of sex crimes committed against them as children, and also their family members and friends. We are all seeking justice against those who perpetrate sexual offenses against our children.
It’s both sad and sickening to say that this is just more evidence that Dowling’s deceitful words are part of a concerted fearmongering effort by the Maryland Catholic Conference to mislead parishioners. The sad part is that by doing this, he is taking away the civil rights of all those who were victimized as children, not just Catholic survivors. It’s important to keep in mind that just under 50 percent of all cases of child sexual abuse occur in the home and not the church, synagogue or mosque.
Dowling is an educated man who knows that raising the statute of limitations is a key deterrent to child sexual abuse. Sex offenders know full well that these archaic laws work in their favor because so many victims/survivors are not in the position to come forward until much later in their lives, usually in their late 40s, 50s or beyond. An example of this is the case of Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro. At the age of 64, Murray Levin finally came forward. This was 52 years after he was allegedly molested by his bar mitzvah teacher.
When California raised its statute of limitations, more than 300 new sexual predators were revealed, essentially ending their reign of terror and prey of children. Just as the archdiocese or many other religious organizations did for so many years, bad laws protect sex offenders and shield criminal offenses from justice.
We all need to remind Dowling that honesty and truth will always prevail.
Vicki Polin is the founder and executive director of the Awareness Center Inc. (The International Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault )
posted by Jewish Survivors at Monday, March 03, 2008
3 Comments:
vicki's right on target.
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/308798
Conrad Black's prison sentence begins today
If fallen baron goes to Florida facility, here's a couple of fraudsters he could meet at bocce
March 03, 2008
Rick Westhead
Staff Reporter
Black is scheduled to begin serving his 6 1/2-year sentence for defrauding the shareholders of his Hollinger International Inc. newspaper empire. He is expected to join Hogan and his fellow inmates inside the double barbed wire fences at the Coleman federal prison, a sprawling facility built on a former swamp north of Tampa, by 2 p.m.
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons had not, as of last night, confirmed that Black will serve his time at Coleman, as Black has requested. The bureau does not comment in advance of inmates reporting.
Every type of criminal lives within Coleman's walls and is a potential bunkmate for Black.
Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and editor of a blog on white-collar crime, said regardless of bunkmate, the British lord is likely to face culture shock.
Potential bunkmates for Black
James A. Cohen
Inmate: # 14467-424
Age: 36
Projected release date: 01-22-2011
A former counsellor with a Jewish youth group, Cohen in 1997 admitted he performed a sex act on one boy and fondled three boys during a bus trip. Cohen's lawyer said his client has acknowledged he was the victim of sexual abuse as a child and asked for treatment.
The Cohen case is up here:
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Cohen_James.html
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