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LDS Church

LDS Launches Child Abuse Prevention Program

Every adult who works with children must complete the course by September 22, 2019.

by Corey Barnett

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made it mandatory for all adults working with children or teenagers in the church to complete a 30-minute online training course on preventing and responding to abuse. Last Friday church leaders announced every church adult working with children must complete the course by September 22.

The training presentation says members of the church can play a crucial role in preventing abuse and protecting children. They should not tolerate abuse of any kind in their presence.

The audiovisual training course is available at ProtectingChildren.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The course contains an illustrated slideshow which includes scenarios that mandate responses from the audience.

Sister Joy D. Jones, General President of the Church's International Primary Program stated her organization receives Christ's teachings about children and the youth with utmost seriousness. The program consists of over one million children. Christ welcomed children into His kingdom and warned against bullying, hurting, or abusing them.

The press release said it had discussed with therapists, child protection groups, and other professionals before designing the program. It is motivated to train leaders on how they can prevent abuse and how to respond to cases of abuse.

The program explicitly states the responsibility of anybody aware of a child having been molested, emotionally harmed or physically abused must act proactively in the best interests of the child and to protect them. They should look upon any complaints they receive of inappropriate behavior by another adult working for the church with due seriousness and keep lines of communication open.

When abuse has taken place, the adult's primary responsibility will be to provide safety to the victim and prevent any chances of them suffering the abuse again. They should not dismiss the child's complaints or be hesitant to believe them. It should be their task to make the child feel secure and comfortable to confide in them in details about said abuse. Bishops and church presidents are instructed to report cases of abuse to the church's abuse helpline.

https://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/lds-church-launches-child-abuse-prevention-program/amp/

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Chicago

New Lab Trains Welfare Workers Who Probe Child Abuse Claims

by SOPHIA TAREEN

CHICAGO (AP) — The troubling scene inside the dingy Chicago apartment seems real: dangling exposed wires, open pill bottles near a sleeping baby and a kitchen strewn with dog feces and cockroaches.

But the mock apartment — with a lifelike infant doll, candles emitting foul smells and plastic insects — is part of a new simulation lab to train workers who investigate child abuse claims across Illinois.

"Sometimes textbooks, they sugarcoat things. Teachers sugarcoat things, but this is real life," said Beth Brown of Murphysboro, who recently trained at the so-called "dirty apartment." ''This is what you're going to experience."

Illinois' use of such experiential training focused on child welfare workers is being held up by experts as a national leader as the state plans to expand with a third simulation lab and its university experts write new research on the topic. But the accolades come as the agency faces serious systemic deficiencies, with some of its investigators under fire for high-profile deaths — including a 5-year-old suburban Chicago boy this year. The agency is under multiple court orders, including for high caseloads, leading the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and others to question the expansion.

"Training is a great thing, but all the training in the world isn't going to fix the foundational problems that DCFS is struggling with," said ACLU attorney Heidi Dalenberg, who was involved in the caseloads court order.

More than 700 front-line employees have undergone simulation training in Illinois with hundreds more expected to follow suit. Child investigators and experts call it invaluable preparation for a dangerous, high-burnout job at the heart of child protective work.

The use of simulation training isn't unusual for first-responders: Many medical schools have opened multimillion-dollar facilities. However, it's a newer concept in child welfare, said Victor Vieth, a longtime expert who has trained child protective workers nationwide. The first child welfare simulation labs emerged roughly 15 years ago at universities. Dozens have since added them, and it has spread to state agencies.

New Jersey has trained child welfare workers at a New Brunswick academy for about five years. Kansas started offering child protective employees simulation training in 2017. The University of South Carolina Upstate opened a training center in 2010 used by thousands of teachers, students and social service workers.

But Illinois is notable in targeting front-line workers through multiple centers and its university experts use the data for some of the first research on the topic. While some state-of-the-art facilities are pricey, Illinois has spent relatively little. The first lab opened in 2016 inside a home on the University of Illinois Springfield campus that was a gift. In Chicago, DCFS officials spent roughly $60,000 to convert existing office space into a lab that opened in April. A third is expected downstate within a year.

The state requires all new investigators, who follow hotline calls alleging abuse and neglect, undergo a week of simulation training. That was extended this year to veteran front-line workers, following an outside report on the agency's systemic issues and high-profile deaths.

The labs use real cases, which Illinois officials say helps others avoid missteps. Early Springfield trainings were based on a child who died during a DCFS investigation.

"Once they go into a home, they have to use all of their senses," said Monico Whittington-Eskridge, a DCFS deputy director in Chicago. "We are giving a picture of what are some of the typical things that they may encounter when they go into a home. Not every home is a potential dirty home."

The Chicago lab includes another apartment with less obvious potential trouble: a cabinet of empty liquor bottles. There's a courtroom to practice witness testimony and space set up as a doctor's office or police station. All have cameras, two-way mirrors and microphones for observation.

The Associated Press recently observed the Chicago lab where more than 60 employees have trained, including walking through the "dirty apartment." Investigators are taught to look for possible issues as they follow up on abuse claims, for instance asking about the open prescription pill bottles near the baby or checking if televisions are anchored down to protect young children. It all factors into the eventual determination of whether abuse or neglect claims are founded and whether the child will be removed from the home.

The state hires actors to portray family. Trainees are instructed to remain calm, plainly state facts and avoid accusations, in hopes of building trust to learn critical details.

Brown knocked on the door of the "dirty apartment" and encountered distraught, mistrusting parents.

"We don't abuse our children at all. We take very good care of our kids," said the actor playing the mother, who grew emotional. "You're not coming to take our kids, are you?"

"That is not my intention," Brown responded. "This may not even be an accurate report. My job is to see if it is accurate. I'm not here to accuse you of anything."

Brown's supervisor later entered to debrief, praising her calm demeanor and reminding her not to keep her back to the door, a safety precaution in the risky job.

Veteran investigator Stephen Mittens, who'll soon undergo the training, has witnessed gunfire. Last year, an investigator died after being attacked while trying to take a child into custody.

"Oftentimes we're walking into families' homes into some of the worst situations," Mittens said.

Investigators are also the first blamed when things go wrong, he said. That includes the death of Andrew "AJ" Freund, the 5-year-old who had extensive DCFS contact for abuse. His parents face murder charges. An investigator and supervisor were removed from casework. Attorneys said they were overloaded, a longtime problem and under court supervision at DCFS.

The agency's other issues have been well-publicized and exacerbated by ongoing state budget problems, including inadequate care for juveniles with mental health problems, a hotline with slow response and over a dozen agency directors in the past decade. There's also high turnover, typical of child welfare agencies. The Seattle foundation Casey Family Programs estimates average turnover rates from 20% to 40%.

First-year Gov. J.B. Pritzker has allocated funds for more investigators and agency officials have conducted a full review.

Some experts suggest the simulation training could help, particularly with burnout. Illinois researchers are studying data from the centers. UIS professor Betsy Goulet, who helped design the centers, said early signs suggest trainees are less likely to leave.

For Brown, 40, the simulations are refreshing after the classroom.

"It's not something that a teacher can tell you what to do," she said. "This is something you need to experience in order to get better and understand the job.

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2019-08-23/embattled-illinois-welfare-agency-praised-for-training-lab?context=amp

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Australia

Cardinal George Pell's Sexual Abuse Conviction Is Upheld

MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian court on Wednesday upheld the sexual abuse conviction of Cardinal George Pell, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic leader ever found guilty in a criminal court in the church's child sex abuse crisis.

The cardinal, 78, who was once an adviser to Pope Francis, had been sentenced to six years in prison in March.

“He will continue to serve his sentence,” said Chief Justice Anne Ferguson of the Supreme Court of the state of Victoria in Melbourne, who presided over the appeals case with two other top judges.

Cardinal Pell was found guilty in December of molesting two 13-year-old choirboys after a Sunday Mass in 1996 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, and groping one of them again months later. A gag order meant the verdict was not unsealed until February, after a second trial involving Cardinal Pell was canceled.

The case has garnered broad attention both for its secrecy and for the precedent it set. Abuse survivors had hailed the conviction as proof that judicial systems can hold even the most senior prelates accountable in the global child sexual abuse scandal that has stained the church's image.

Cardinal Pell, wearing a black suit with a clerical collar, hung his head when the ruling was announced in a packed courtroom, where victims of childhood sexual abuse were present.

In a news conference after the judgment was issued, Vivian Waller, a lawyer for one of the former choirboys, read a statement on his behalf in which he expressed relief and the hope that this decision signaled the end of the criminal process.

“The journey has taken me to places that in my darkest moments I feared I would not return from,” the statement read. “I just hope that it is all over now.”

A spokeswoman for Cardinal Pell said he was reviewing the ruling before deciding whether to challenge it in the High Court of Australia, the nation's top court. The Vatican, in a statement, said that “as the proceedings continue to develop, the Holy See recalls that the cardinal has always maintained his innocence throughout the judicial process and that it is his right to appeal to the High Court.”

The cardinal, who has been imprisoned since his sentencing in March, began his appeals process in June. The primary argument made by Cardinal Pell's legal team was that it was impossible for the jury to be satisfied of the cardinal's guilt “beyond reasonable doubt.” The lawyers pointed to what they said was evidence that contradicted the account of the former choirboy — testimony that the case hinged on.

“Nobody apart from the alleged victims and the alleged perpetrator were present in the room,” said Bret Walker, the lawyer representing Cardinal Pell at the appeal. Activities after the Sunday Mass, Mr. Walker added, would have made it either “impossible” or “so unlikely” as to leave no realistic possibility for Cardinal Pell to molest them.

But two of the three judges said Wednesday that the standard had been met for the jury to determine the cardinal's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

“We did not experience a doubt,” Justice Ferguson said. “The complainant was a very compelling witness, was clearly not a liar, was not a fantasist and was a witness of truth,” she added.

Justice Mark Weinberg dissented, finding that “the complainant was inclined to embellish aspects of his account.”

The defense had also appealed the verdict on two other, more technical grounds: the trial judge's refusal to permit a video presentation during the defense's closing arguments, and the fact that Cardinal Pell was not arraigned in the presence of the jury. All three judges declined to overturn the cardinal's conviction on those grounds.

The Australian judiciary differs from that of the United States in giving appeal courts broad discretion to overturn decisions made by juries.

“The idea is that to safely convict someone, you have to convince the jury and the appeal board,” said Jeremy Gans, a law professor at the University of Melbourne. The judges in Cardinal Pell's case, he added, did not have a track record of ruling jury judgments unreasonable.

While the Vatican expelled Cardinal Pell from a powerful council of papal advisers in December, it has yet to defrock him. A Vatican spokesman said earlier this year that the church would await the resolution of the appeals process before considering further action.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that the cardinal would be stripped of his Order of Australia, an award bestowed on Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement.

The trial — which ran for almost five weeks last year, and was preceded by a first trial that ended in a hung jury — rested on the testimony of the single former choirboy. He said that after the Sunday Mass in 1996, Cardinal Pell caught him and another boy in the priest's sacristy, where he molested the boys and forced his erect penis into the complainant's mouth.

The second former choirboy, who died in 2014, never made any complaint about abuse to his family or the police. When his mother approached him with suspicions that he had been abused, he denied it had happened.

Lisa Flynn, a lawyer who is representing the father of the deceased former choirboy in a separate civil case, said she had found the defense's arguments worrisome.

“Some of the things that have been said flies in the face of a lot of the findings of the royal commission and what we know about abuse survivors,” Ms. Flynn said, referring to an investigation of institutional child abuse in Victoria conducted in recent years. “In many cases,” she added, “people take their stories to the grave.”

Outside the courtroom, people who said they were survivors of abuse held signs condemning the cardinal and said they were thrilled with the outcome.

“I'm actually beside myself; I expected Cardinal Pell to walk out of this court a free man today,” said one, Vladimir Selakovic. “It gives the victims a hope,” he added. “No one is above the law.”

Cathy Kezelman, the president of the Blue Knot Foundation, an Australian organization that supports people who have experienced trauma, said that “for a long, long time, survivors have not been believed.”

“To have to prove that you suffered so profoundly is really incredibly challenging,” she added.

During the appeals process, Cardinal Pell appears to have reflected on what he called his own suffering.

His supporters posted a letter online they claimed he had sent from prison. “The knowledge that my small suffering can be used for good purposes through being joined to Jesus's suffering gives me purpose and direction,” the letter read.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/world/australia/cardinal-pell-appeal.amp.html

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California

California man accuses Jehovah's Witnesses of covering up childhood sex abuse

by Karma Allen

A Los Angeles man filed a lawsuit against the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, accusing an adult elder of sexually abusing him when he was a child.

In the suit, Kevin Ramirez, 26, claims he was molested by an elder at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in San Dimas, California, for years, starting at the age of 6. The suit names various levels of the organization's global hierarchy, including its eight-member governing body, as defendants.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court last week, accuses the church of negligence, sexual battery and sexual harassment.

"You are taught to trust these elders with everything," Ramirez told reporters Tuesday. "They are your mentors, they're the equivalent to what a priest would be."

The Jehovah's Witnesses organization told ABC News that it could not discuss pending litigation but that the organization's practice is to always follow the law. "Watchtower's stand on the subject of child abuse is very clear: we despise child abuse in any form," it said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to anyone who suffered as a result of child sexual abuse."

"In addition, Watchtower's practice is to always follow the law, and we support the efforts of elders in congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses to do the same," it added.

In the complaint, Ramirez alleges one elder used his position in the religious organization to gain the trust of several boys in the congregation and abuse them. He claims he was molested on multiple occasions between 1999 and 2001, when he was just 6 to 8 years old.

Kevin Ramirez, 26, said he was molested for years as a kid by an elder of the San Dimas Spanish Congregation.

"He would fondle, he would touch and vice versa, he would make us touch him," Ramirez said. "He would tell us that these are that things we need to do or if we don't do them we won't make them to what they call paradise."

The abuse allegedly took place after church events, such as field service, bible study and during a Jehovah's Witnesses Assembly, the suit said.

Ramirez, who is suing for an unspecified amount in damages, said he told his parents about the abuse in 2001. His family reported the allegations to the church, which allegedly discouraged them from going to the police, according to the lawsuit.

"Those Elders did not make a mandated child abuse report to law enforcement and affirmatively discouraged [Ramirez] and his parents from making such a report," the lawsuit said.

The suit said the organization "acted with willful and conscious disregard of the rights and safety of others by ignoring warnings and complaints" about alleged sexual abuse involving "unsuspecting minors."

Ramirez' attorney, Irwin Zalkin, said the church and the governing board of the Jehovah's Witnesses failed to protect him and other children.

"They have a pervasive and a severe problem of child sexual abuse within that organization that they've been covering up for decades," Zalkin said Tuesday. “They do have what I refer to as a crisis of silence in the organization, they're extremely secretive and keep themselves insulated from the outside world.”

Ramirez said he is now atheist and still struggles with trauma related to the abuse.

“Practically every time I drive by a Kingdom Hall I feel disgust because you never know what's going on behind closed doors. You never know if kids are going through the same thing,” Ramirez said.

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/california-man-accuses-jehovahs-witnesses-covering-childhood-sex/story?id=65097514

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Oregon

Child rapist gets 50-year sentence; woman and children had walked in on attack

by Dom Calicchio

A Portland, Ore., man will spend the next half-century behind bars following his sentencing Friday in the decade-long sexual abuse of a young girl, according to reports.

Anthony Mariscal, 38, was convicted on all counts earlier this year in a crime that came to light only after a woman and other children walked into the room where he was molesting the child, authorities said.

The woman had walked in first, then the other children ran to her after they heard her scream, the Oregonian reported.

The woman then called 9-1-1, according to FOX 12 Oregon.

The abuse started when the girl was between ages 3 and 5 and lasted for as long as 10 years, authorities said.

The girl was in the courtroom Friday as Mariscal learned his fate, the Oregonian reported. She thanked those who helped her, then spoke to her attacker.

“So you may cut my wings, but I still have my legs,” she said, according to the newspaper. “And I have my arms to crawl with ... if you break my legs. Just know, I'm stronger than what you think. Because I can be happy now and I can smile.”

“Just know, I can be free now.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Angel Lopez said he initially planned to sentence Mariscal to 100 years in prison, but decided on 50 because it meant Mariscal would be 86 years old when he's freed, factoring in time already served.

“He will be released to a completely different world,” Lopez said, according to the newspaper. “And he will be bewildered and confused and vulnerable. That is also part of the sentence.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/child-rapist-gets-50-year-sentence-woman-and-children-had-walked-in-on-attack.amp

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New York

Former students allege Yeshiva school ignored 'vicious' abuse

38 plaintiffs attended school between 1953-1992

by Madeleine Thompson

NEW YORK (CNN) - Nearly 40 former students of the all-boys Yeshiva University High School in New York have filed a lawsuit against the school, accusing it of ignoring allegations of serial sexual abuse.

The lawsuit accuses former principal George Finkelstein of targeting the children of Holocaust survivors and then imploring them "to not add to their parents' suffering by telling them about his assaults."

Like Finkelstein, several more former faculty members, including a dorm counselor, rabbis and teachers are also named in the lawsuit as alleged abusers, though they are not defendants. Kevin Mulhearn, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told CNN none of the alleged abusers are named as defendants because they couldn't be found, though he may amend the complaint if he's able to track any of them down. Mulhearn said Finkelstein has lived in Israel for years and is thus outside jurisdiction.

Finkelstein could not be reached for comment Friday by phone or email. He has denied the allegations in the past, the Associated Press reported.

The school did not respond to multiple calls from CNN. A spokesperson for Yeshiva University declined comment to the Associated Press, citing pending litigation.

The 38 plaintiffs attended Yeshiva University High School between 1953 and 1992. At a news conference Thursday, former student Barry Singer said he did not fully understand that he was abused until he had children of his own.

"These rabbis had such ultimate power in that school that the sense I had was that they could do anything they wanted to," Singer said. "There was no one to go to."

The complaint focuses charges on the school for negligent supervision, negligent retention and negligent failure to provide a safe and secure environment.

According to the lawsuit, several assaults were reported by students to school administrators, but "their complaints always fell on deaf ears." In one instance alleged in the lawsuit, a rabbi and the then-principal observed Finkelstein sexually and physically abusing a boy in the hallway but did not report it. In another, a boy and his father met with an administrator to report the boy's abuse but no action was taken, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit illustrates the lasting effects the alleged abuse had on victims, from mental health issues such as depression to drug use to divorce. Mulhearn said he also represented them in lawsuits filed in 2013 and 2014, but that both were dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired.

The current lawsuit was filed under New York's Child Victims Act, which reopens the window for those who suffered sexual abuse as children to pursue legal action. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed since the law went into effect earlier this month.

https://www.ktvz.com/news/national-world/former-students-allege-yeshiva-school-ignored-vicious-abuse/1113223204

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New York

Yeshiva University hit with sexual abuse lawsuit

by VERENA DOBNIK and DAVID KLEPPER

NEW YORK (AP) — Thirty-eight former students of an Orthodox Jewish school in New York City operated by Yeshiva University sued Thursday over claims they were molested by two prominent rabbis in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

The suit alleged the university failed to protect students at Yeshiva University High School for Boys and even promoted one of the rabbis to principal after receiving abuse reports.

A Yeshiva University spokesperson declined to comment, citing a school policy against speaking publicly about litigation.

The lawsuit is one of hundreds that have been filed over child sexual abuse allegations since last week, when New York state opened a one-year window for suits previously barred by the state's statute of limitations.

During a press conference Thursday, three of the alleged victims, flanked by their lawyers, spoke about disturbing behavior they say went on for decades.

"I didn't even understand at the time that this was sexual abuse; I just knew that this guy was putting his hands all over me," said Barry Singer, 61, speaking of one of the rabbis he said kept reaching into the boy's pants, even in school hallways.

The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they choose to be named.

One of the accused rabbis, Macy Gordon, died recently in Israel. The other, George Finkelstein, has denied the allegations.

Finkelstein was promoted from the school's assistant principal to principal even after some of the boys' parents reported the alleged abuse to school officials, the plaintiffs said. He also eventually moved to Israel, where he worked at Jerusalem's Great Synagogue. Calls to the synagogue rang unanswered Thursday.

Thirty-four of the plaintiffs attempted to sue Yeshiva University for sexual abuse and facilitating sexual abuse in 2013 but the case went nowhere because it was barred by the statute of limitations at the time

Plaintiff David Bressler, 51, said the abuse he suffered while a student in the early '80s led him to abandon his religion that now rekindles memories of the abuse. He now has no contact with his parents and other relatives who are observant Jews. When he married his Jewish wife a decade ago, he made her promise not to raise their children in the Jewish faith.

He said he still doesn't tuck in his shirt, a habit he started in high school to make it more difficult for his abuser to put his hand down his pants. He said there are days he can't bear being on a crowded subway because "I can't stand being touched by people."

"So you don't even realize what the long-term impact is," said Bressler, a father of two.}

https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/world/yeshiva-university-hit-with-sexual-abuse-lawsuit/article_d174f9ef-4752-53a1-9a39-8c47602d96d7.html

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France

Paris prosecutor opens child rape inquiry linked to Epstein case

Investigation to focus on potential crimes against citizens in France and abroad

The chief Paris prosecutor has announced that he is opening an investigation into the rape of minors and a series of other charges linked to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

A statement issued on Friday by the office of Rémy Heitz said the decision to open a preliminary investigation was based on “elements transmitted” to his office and “exchanges with American authorities”.

“The investigations … will focus on potential crimes committed against French victims on national territory as well as abroad, and on suspects who are French citizens,” the statement said.

The potential charges could include rape and sexual assault against minors, including some younger than 15 years old, prosecutors said.

The office will also investigate claims Epstein and others participated in a vast child sex trafficking ring for years.

The move came after US investigators found links in France to the financier, who was found hanged in his New York jail cell this month while awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges.

Epstein was arrested when he arrived in the US from Paris, where he owned an apartment near the Arc de Triomphe.

A French advocacy group for child sexual abuse victims, Innocence en Danger, said this week it had received 10 witness statements about alleged sexual crimes committed against minors in France.

Those who said they were victims were not all French but the alleged violations “took place on French territory and probably at the hands of French people”, the group's leader, Homayra Sellier, said.

One of Epstein's close friends was the formerly powerful French modelling tycoon Jean-Luc Brunel, who was accused in court documents of procuring minors for Epstein. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/23/paris-prosecutor-opens-child-inquiry-linked-to-epstein-case

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Australia

Experts gather on Gold Coast to discuss crackdown on child abuse

by Shanee Dobeson

The world's finest industry and law enforcement experts from across the globe will today gather on the Gold Coast for a conference focused on protecting children from harmful child abuse networks.

The Queensland Police Service's Youth, Technology and Virtual Communities Conference is taking place at Bond University, with experts in law enforcement, prosecution, psychology, child advocacy and the protection service all gathering for the important discussions.

Talks will be opened by Police Minister Mark Ryan and Commissioner of Police Katarina Carroll, with the international delegates then set to share their insights and promote powerful discussion through case studies, workshops and seminars in a bid to help bring down child abuse networks.

“By using the conference as a vehicle to promote change and best practice investigation, the QPS is ensuring we are doing everything we can to protect our children and make those who commit these horrific crimes accountable for their actions,” Detective Superintendent Denzil Clark of the Child Abuse and Sexual Crime Group said.

“But it is only through collaboration, community support and information sharing that we can truly achieve this goal.”

The conference has become internationally renowned as a platform to address this shocking crime from every angle, with experts specializing in both victim and offender behavior.

“With the continued uptake of social media and the influx of self-produced images flooding the internet, the conference is a great opportunity for us to educate and protect our community to help give all our children a great start,” Detective Superintendent Clark said.

Police Minister Mark Ryan praised the Argos team's innovative approach to shining a light on what is often an uncomfortable topic.

“The Argos team's approach to education, by shining a light on what is an uncomfortable topic and raising awareness of it, is the right thing to do,” he said.

“As well though, Argos shows what steps can be taken to defend the community from attacks on our most vulnerable citizens.

“Over the last few years, I have been in the fortunate position to see the positive results achieved out of past conferences and I once again look forward to hearing of how the issues discussed here today shape policy, research and our future policing response to this critical issue.

http://www.mygc.com.au/experts-gather-on-gold-coast-to-discuss-crackdown-on-child-abuse/

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#MeToo

Bulleit Bourbon at a Crossroads Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations

Sales are up. But behind the scenes, the Bulleit family is reckoning with its own #MeToo moment

The whisk(e)y world is built on stories of recipes passed down from generation to generation within families that would eventually become dynasties.

It's all a bit fanciful, because the real stories are often more complex and, sometimes, even troubling.

In the case of Bulleit, there's quite a tale to tell. There's a great-great grandfather who made whiskey, his great-great-grandson who became a lawyer in Lexington but dreamed of resurrecting his family's heritage, and of course the family-run business he built that became a huge global success and a bourbon staple at every bar.

That's the story they'll tell you at a distillery or at a tasting — but it hides a lot of painful truths.

Most recently, after extensive allegations of physical and sexual abuse by his daughter, the founder of Bulleit whiskey is moving aside at the company as a spokesperson and the public face of the brand.

Two years ago, the Washington Post reported that Hollis Bulleit — daughter of founder Tom Bulleit and a global brand ambassador for the brand — had been fired from the company, previously a family-owned business that had been purchased by drinks giant Diageo.

In a series of Facebook posts, Hollis claimed she had been let go due to homophobia. She also accused now-parent company Diageo of not providing appropriate protection or safeguards. (Her Facebook post is no longer available).

Diageo, meanwhile, had until then been seen as an LGBT-friendly place to work — for example, the Human Rights Campaign has the company a perfect 100/100 in their Corporate Equality Index.

Before Hollis left the company, Diageo claimed they had offered her a multi-year contract. But at the same time, the Bulleit family seemed to be erasing their daughter from the brand history, at least according to the Post article; on the other hand, Hollis was still considered by the drinks industry at large to be a public face for the whiskey (a role she had played for nearly two decades). For her work within the industry, she was awarded a 2014 Dame Hall of Fame induction at Tales of the Cocktail.

In the midst of the conflict, the Lexington Herald Leader reported that Hollis and Diageo had reached a “mutually acceptable resolution” in early 2018, and the matter — at least to the general public and drinking community — seemed resolved.

But Hollis (who now goes by Hollis B Worth) started making new Facebook posts this year alluding to past sexual abuse and her father's alleged domestic violence. On August 13th, she released a more detailed summary of her family history, accusing her father directly of sexual abuse, homophobia, pedophilia and being forced to pose for naked photos as a young child. It's a long, harrowing read and one where she directly referenced Diageo and the company's continued association with Tom Bulleit.

Before the public Facebook posts, sometime around July, Diageo asked the Bulleit founder to step back from representing the brand in public; this seemed to be a response to letters from Hollis and her lawyers to the company that had laid out more detailed accusations.

However, Worth recently told the drinks publication Neat Pour she was unaware of her father's recent “benching” by Diageo and questioned why the brand or Tom's attorneys had not reached out to her directly about the recent move.

In a series of emails with InsideHook, Hollis expanded on this.

“It is unclear as to what [Diageo's] internal investigation entailed; but I know one thing I was never approached,” she wrote in an email. “After over a month of not hearing a word from Diageo, I find it hard to believe that, upon consulting experts in the sexual abuse field, Diageo would think it was okay or respectful for me to hear about any movement in our situation first from a reporter.”

She continues: “It is my belief that Tom Bulleit will continue to receive his consulting salary even while being temporarily benched, along with royalties based on case sales. And of course, Diageo will continue to profit. In addition, having Tom ‘step away' does not change internal policy or the corporate environment that allowed these abuses to occur. I believe that Diageo is distracting the public instead of proposing real solutions and have again misjudged the intelligence of the consumer in a post #metoo society.”

(Hollis also refuted the idea suggested by a recent Herald-Leader article that she was urging a boycott of Bulleit. “I never asked for boycotts,” she told us.)

As someone active on drinks/bar professionals/bar media Facebook groups, I can attest that several bartenders have voluntarily boycotted Bulleit (and will explain to customers their reasons, if asked). Other posters on these boards, however, have expressed that this recent move by Diageo was a “step in the right direction” for the brand and seemed open to continue serving the whiskey.

Tom Bulleit has denied all accusations. In a recent statement, he said he has “willingly agreed to step back from my ambassadorship role while we honor our commitment to our customers, the LGBTQ community and our family to pause and demonstrate the falsity of Hollis's accusations in full transparency and good faith.” He also claimed the abuse claims are “monetarily motivated.”

In statement sent to InsideHook, a spokesperson for Diageo says they “learned of claims of abuse, directed at her father, through a recent letter from Ms. Worth's (née Bulleit) attorney. These claims had not been previously brought to Diageo's attention by Ms. Worth or anyone else. While it would be impossible for us to determine the veracity of these claims, given their nature it was decided Mr. Bulleit would step back from his brand ambassadorship role.”

Diageo also reiterated both its preference to extend Hollis a contract (a long and equally troubling/detailed look at that process can be found here) and its commitment to a corporate culture that “supports inclusivity and does not discriminate on any basis, including sexual orientation.

https://www.insidehook.com/article/news-opinion/bulleit-bourbon-family-controversy

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United Kingdom

Jersey man jailed for historical child sexual abuse

by Kenneth Gordon

A 68-year-old man has been jailed for 16 years for serious historic sexual offences against several children in Jersey.

Kenneth Gordon pleaded guilty in April to 17 sexual offences against four girls, as well as an assault on a boy.

The offences took place between 1992 and 2008 when the victims were aged between four and 15.

Gordon, of St Clement, was placed on the sex offenders register by the island's Royal Court.

He was sentenced by the Superior Number of the court, which only rules on Jersey's most serious crimes.

Jersey Police said the victims were subjected to "many forms of abuse" over years by Gordon, who "grossly abused" their trust.

Det Sgt David Hill praised the "immense courage" of the victims throughout the "long and complex" investigation.

"I hope that after today's sentencing they can now start to rebuild their lives," he said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-europe-jersey-49399828

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Australia

Girl brainwashed and sexually abused by Outback cult leader in human experiment

The 28-year-old woman had joined the group, which was based in Arbury Park mansion in the Adelaide hills, when she was young was abused over a two-and-a-half year period from aged 13.

Salerno invented the cult as an experiment to try to discover 'the best way humans are supposed to live'.

A woman has told how she was sexually abused by an Australian Outback cult leader as a child and treated like his personal slave.

James Gino 'Taipan' Salerno set up the Ideal Human Environment Group as an experiment to discover the best way in which humans are supposed to live.

There was a hierarchical structure in the cult in which women were brainwashed and expected to provide for the men.

Salerno was jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of eight counts of unlawful sexual intercourse after sexually abusing a girl in the cut from aged 13.

The parents of the now 28-year-old woman had joined the group, which was based in Arbury Park mansion, Adelaide, Australia, when she was young.

Salerno was jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of eight counts of unlawful sexual intercourse

She claimed from aged 13 she was treated like Salerno's personal slave and had to serve him ripe fruit, run his bath to a precise temperature, prepare his food, open doors for him and do his washing.

She would also have to brush his hair and give him so-called 'healing' massages.

The woman who wishes to remain anonymous told Weekend Australia Magazine: "I felt like I was only ever a piece of meat for Taipan to use when and where he wanted.

"I felt like I was being brainwashed, belittled and isolated."

The group was based in Arbury Park mansion in the Adelaide hills.

The woman said Salerno told her "it was her duty" to make her a lady.

At the time she said she didn't think his actions were wrong, because he convinced his followers that his intentions were good and they should try to copy him.

"I knew it was wrong, but I had nowhere to go. I was so scared. And now looking back, I really wish I'd had the courage to get out and to fight him", she said.

The woman was abuse by the 72-year-old over a two-and-a-half-year period from aged 13
She escaped the cult in 2009 and reported Salerno to the police in 2012.

Salerno was found guilty of eight counts of unlawful sexual intercourse.

When he sentenced him, South Australian District Court Judge Paul Slattery told the court at his sentencing that he abused his power.

Salerno is appealing against his conviction.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/girl-brainwashed-sexually-abused-outback-19003542.amp

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United Kingdom

Priest killed himself before facing justice says alleged sexual abuse victim

Father Ernest Sands was found dead on the day he was due to report to police

by KATE MCMULLIN

A man claims he was repeatedly sexually abused as a schoolboy by a priest who then killed himself before he could face justice.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claims that from the age of 12-years-old he was regularly abused by Father Ernest Sands, at St Joseph's Seminary in Upholland, near Skelmersdale.

Father Sands was found hanged on the day he was due to report to police, on April 11, 2016, at an address in Oswestry.

He had been arrested the year before by Lancashire Police on suspicion of sexually abusing five boys including one at a Catholic seminary.

One of his alleged victims told the ECHO how during his time as a pupil at the school, in the 1980s, Father Sands would summon him to his private bedroom and force him to partake in oral sex.

Pervert priest was not the only pedophile preying on boys according to witnesses

The man claims his abuse began after taking singing lessons with Father Sands, who was a conductor and composer.

He said: "I was a very good singer and he used to try out pieces of his music on me.

"The abuse started when on one occasion he was telling me how to breathe properly when I was singing.

"Then after that he would perform oral sex on me and make me do the same to him.

"It was very regular and horrendous."

Eerie pictures show inside the abandoned Catholic college with a haunting past

The now 50-year-old said he was a "very naive" catholic boy and knew nothing of sex.

He added: "In that era sex wasn't talked about at home or at school.

"I knew what was happening was wrong, but I didn't really know what it was and I knew I couldn't speak about it.

"I felt very alone and very miserable.

"I didn't tell my parents, they were devout Catholics and something like this to them would have seemed inconceivable.

"I tried to tell my dad when I was 15, but I just couldn't and sadly he died when I was 18 and I never got the chance to tell him.

"I don't remember him [Father Sands] ever saying anything like 'if you tell, this will happen to you' but I just knew I couldn't tell anyone.

"I was sent little notes in lessons which would be summoning me to his room, so I assumed the person who was sending those notes knew it was happening and it wasn't being discouraged."

Former priest jailed for 18 years for sexually abusing boys at Catholic college

Priest Michael Higginbottom was also this year jailed for 18 years for the sexual abuse of two teenage boys at St Joseph's College - in the 1970s and 80s.

And the ECHO uncovered how at least three Catholic priests have been accused of abusing children at the facility in West Lancashire, with several pupils having reported horrifying mistreatment at the hands of clergy who they should have been able to trust.

The former pupil said: "I have never believed that the Church was involved in a conspiracy to sacrifice young children to priests; but the fact remains that pedophiles from many denominations and walks of life have worn clerical collars or uniforms to fulfill their fantasies and in doing so have ruined lives.

"The idea that pupils used to sleep in dorms, in such close proximity to each other and these terrible things were happening to us and yet no-one talked to each other about it is horrifying.

"There were a couple of priests who were really kind to us but there were pedophile priests who hid behind a dog collar."

The alleged victim claims his abuse stopped at the age of 16, when he bravely rejected the advances of Father Sands.

He said: "I remembers on one occasion I was sitting playing a piano and he came over and sat next to me and tried to touch me and I just pushed him away.

"That was the end of it - the abuse stopped and it was never spoken of again."

However for 30 years the pupil claims how he suffered with terrifying demons, due to the alleged abuse he had suffered.

He told the ECHO how for years he struggled to figure out his sexuality and desperately tried to block out what he said happened to him.

And it took him until the age of 46 to finally speak out and report the incident to police after he saw a picture of Father Sands on Facebook.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/priest-killed-himself-before-facing-16804945.amp

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India

A male adult survivor of child sexual abuse speaks out: How silencing feeds the cycle of trauma

by Surabhi Yadav

Editor's note: This is the second in a three-part series that looks at child sexual abuse in India through the lens of a male survivor's long journey to recovery from trauma. The following account contains descriptions of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

~~~

The system of silencing victims of child sexual abuse is robust and adaptive at multiple levels.

According to the latest National Crime Bureau report from 2016, in 95 percent of reported cases of sexual offences brought under the POCSO Act, the perpetrators were either a family member or a friend. Only 25 percent of the children reported their abuse to someone, and of these, only 3 percent informed the police.

Most police stations — including Mahila (women-centric) stations — lack a trauma-informed process. The process, involving insensitive re-telling of the incident or moral policing from the cops, often re-victimizes the survivor and amplifies their trauma.

At the family level, the abuse is not just about a one-off incident but is centered on the relationship between the victim and the abuser. In a social set up like India's, where family and its standing in the community is integral to the individual's identity, and where discussing sex and abuse are considered taboo within families, it is hard for victims — especially children — to reveal or address the issue of abuse to their guardians.

“Ongoing sexual abuse only takes place in the context of neglect, which could be physical or emotional neglect by people who could help you. When the disclosure meets disbelief, it results in secondary trauma that is often as bad as or worse than the trauma (suffered) due to the abuse itself,” says Colleen West, a licensed marriage and family therapist with expertise in trauma-informed psychotherapy.

The world of children is so tender that even conventional measures such as supportive parents and timely education about abuse and how to reach out for help, are sometimes not enough.

Ishank Chibber's struggle as a child, to find ways to speak out, reflected these challenges.

For instance, when his mother spoke to him about ‘good touch, bad touch' — an instructive way of helping children understand the notion of their safe boundaries — instead of telling her about the ongoing abuse, all he offered in response was a blank stare.

The trust Ishank had in his mother's ability to protect him was overshadowed by the fear his abusers instilled. “We will have you killed you if you say anything about this to anyone,” one warned Ishank. “I will tell your parents how much you enjoyed it,” another said. “We will get a car to run over you,” was another threat, as was “I will chop off your private parts”. While the male cousin who abused Ishank did not threaten him, he normalized the act in the name of love, saying, “This is how things work between brothers. I am just loving you”.

The fear of being murdered if he spoke the truth shadowed Ishank's decisions. He lacked both — the verbal expression to articulate what was being done to him, and the assurance that he would survive if he fought back. As a wise eight-year-old, he bargained on enduring the sustained emotional and physical pain against the cost of his life. He learned how to be secretive and to create a vibrant and chaotic internal world as opposed to the menacing world outside. Scared of people, Ishank engaged in conversations with imaginary friends.

His relationship with each of his abusers had a respectful label — ‘dad's friend', ‘dad's colleague', ‘my cousin' etc. Outwardly, there was nothing grim about these relationships that were marked by regular interactions.

Ishank saw his abusers being loved by other children and adults around him. His agitation towards everyone who showed respect and love for the abusers soon turned into a massive source of self-doubt. “If they love him, why don't I? Why don't they fight with him?” he would wonder. He began to doubt his judgment about situations and people. The loss of self-confidence was crippling. He learned how to pretend to be okay with his abusers' regular presence in his life. He practiced masking his agitation and confusion by keeping secrets and not opening up to people.

As Ishank puts it: “Solitude became my dear friend very early on life”.

During this period, the lines between home, which was supposed to be safe, and the dark, lonely roads where heinous crimes supposedly take place, were blurred. The abusers and the abuse defined home — the only shelter Ishank had known from danger. The gap between his lived experiences and the worldview painted by his caring parents was widening.

“I do not know how I dealt with all that,” Ishank said, in a recent interview. He remembers being beaten on his genitals by one of his abusers, and curling up in pain until he realized that it was getting late for his tuition classes. “So, I rushed and collected myself and somehow managed to change [my clothes]. I went to class but was unable to pay attention to anything. I knew that it [the abuse] would happen again at home the next day.”

Experts say that traumatic sexualization, betrayal, powerlessness, and stigmatization of the issue of abuse alter neurobiological pathways in victims, bringing long-lasting emotional and behavioral changes.

Ishank, like many survivors of child sexual abuse, would attempt to deny the reality of his abuse; mentally, he would make himself stop reliving the memories of specific incidents of abuse within 2-3 of their occurrence. He was regular at school, but couldn't focus much on his books. Any form of confrontation would lead to an emotional breakdown — whether at school, home or on the playground. He couldn't explain the reason for his tears — which he didn't link to the ongoing abuse. He developed deep anxiety if there were more than 2-3 people around him at a time. The school library became his haven during the games period or lunchtime.

His peers perceived him as “the weird outcast”, adults thought him “just a shy kid”.

When Ishank was 13, five years after the abuse began, it stopped.

“I don't know exactly what made them stop. Maybe they lost interest in me. I had started acting very numb during any incident of abuse or rape,” Ishank says.

Denying his painful experiences like many victims do to cope, Ishank forgot the abuse for a long time. Eighteen years later, the repressed memories came rushing back.

“Giving up on the overwhelming situation is the birth of dissociation or denial. Dissociation happens to preserve safety. It allows parts of the psyche that are abused to stay separate from the parts of the personality that go on for normal life. Of course, this integration is not seamless,” explains Colleen West.

~~~

At 25, Ishank was an independent and self-sufficient adult. But the terrors of his childhood manifested as night sweats, panic attacks, and seemingly unresolvable trauma.

In 2015, while Ishank was employed at the e-commerce company Flipkart, his father had a severe medical condition that led to a near-death experience. Nearly losing his father brought back memories of being afraid for his own life as a child. The fear proved to be the trigger that brought memories of the abuse flooding back into Ishank's conscious mind.

According to Colleen West, triggers can be anything — “a sight, a sound, a smell, a dream, a phrase, individuals who remind you of your abuser/s, or even hearing about them”.

A nightmare in which he dreamt of his younger self being molested by several men left Ishank screaming for help; it had a domino effect as more memories of the abuse tumbled forth. His then-roommate, Sourav Mukherjee, struggled to wake Ishank up from his nightmare. Sourav remembers Ishank's night terrors continuing, along with increased intake of alcohol. Ishank's conduct changed, and to Sourav his roommate's behavior seemed to indicate that he was running or hiding from something.

The old feelings of fearing for his life, feeling dirty resurfaced in Ishank after years. The difference was that he now understood the nature of his childhood experiences — although he still had no idea of how to deal with them. Along with clearly remembering the repressed parts of his childhood, Ishank felt a crushing grief.

Every passing day unfolded another buried layer of the past. The night terrors and ruminating over his abuse became involuntary and uncontrollable. The trauma spilled over into daytime as well, and Ishank had lapses in the office where he forgot the passing of several hours or what work he had done. As in his school days, during the years of abuse, he once again started to have frequent and unexpected emotional breakdowns.

Ishank describes feeling like an exposed, “raw nerve”: “Anything, anywhere could set me off and that was a big challenge to navigate, especially in my workplace,” he says.

With the support of Sourav, Ishank opened up about his ordeal to a few close friends and colleagues. “It was a desperate cry for help. I felt that if I did not speak, I would burst,” Ishank says of the decision.

To his surprise, they not only understood his situation but also actively supported him. Be it his immediate manager and teammates or his boss, everyone came together to help Ishank get his work done, or offered him emotional support and care during office hours.

It wasn't easy despite their best intentions. As Sourav points out, Ishank had trust issues as a result of his experiences. He would get hysterical, and his trauma ran deep. “Sometimes, it was very hard to support him because of the unpredictability of his decisions, but we all knew we had to be patient with him,” Sourav says.

And not everyone was supportive.

Ishank's disclosure met with some shockingly ignorant responses as well. The culture of toxic masculinity dismissed his pain; some considered his rape a rite of passage — the ‘luxury' of losing his virginity seemingly qualifying him as a man; others posited that he must have enjoyed the abuse if it happened repeatedly.

Experts cite lack of understanding and sensitivity from peers and family members as being among the top reasons why victims of sexual abuse and rape are reluctant to share the truth about their experiences.

~~~

Around this time, Ishank also sought counselling in an attempt to make sense of his experiences. The counselling helped him put the pieces of his nightmares together, in turn allowing him to access parts of his memories. As more of his memories were uncovered, however, Ishank found himself sucked into depression.

Keeping self-care at the center of his decisions, he decided to move back to Indore, to his parents'. He eventually told them about the abuse — although he didn't disclose the names of his abusers, knowing how deeply his parents would be hurt to know that their closest friends and family had inflicted such harm on their child.

Nonetheless, Ishank's parents were devastated to learn that their son had been raped and abused. They felt a desperate need to apologize, regretted their inability to protect him, and despaired as they imagined his trauma. It demanded a new and painful reconciliation between their past and present selves in their role as parents.

(Ishank didn't want me to speak with his parents as he had no wish to exacerbate their pain. I abided by his wishes.)

Ishank's parents found him a therapist in Indore. While therapy did help manage his depression, it did not directly address his trauma or recovering from it, Ishank says: “It was like I had a big wound that the therapist just put a Band-Aid on, instead of suturing it.”

Ishank experienced panic attacks, which transformed into periodic episodes of rage during which he'd go so far as to smash things around him. Every such episode would end with unrestrained sobbing. “Why me? What did they gain out of it? What happened? How could I have forgotten this for so long? What did it do to me? How many more times will I have to relive it? When will this ever end?” — these were the questions Ishank found himself grappling with.

Like his eight-year-old self, Ishank was once again confused by the wide gap between his life on the outside and what he was experiencing within. But unlike during childhood, he could no longer deny either reality.

The support of his friends and family, while invaluable, wasn't enough to anchor his pain sufficiently for him to be able to process it.

This gift of enabling him to process what had happened, came from a group of strangers who, like Ishank, had been victims of child sexual abuse and were open to sharing their experiences with him.

https://www.firstpost.com/living/a-male-adult-survivor-of-child-sexual-abuse-speaks-out-how-silencing-feeds-the-cycle-of-trauma-7196451.html/amp

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New York State

Adult Victims Of Childhood Sex Abuse In New York Can Sue Alleged Abusers

by MARA SILVERSA new law that goes into effect Wednesday, gives adult victims of childhood sex abuse in New York one year to bring civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers and the institutions that may have allowed the abuse.

The one-year filing period is known as a "look-back window," and allows victims to bring cases that used to be beyond the state's statute of limitations that legislators overhauled this year. Manhattan Assemblymember Yuh-line Niou is one of the people who voted for the new law, touting it at a news conference on Tuesday.

"The passing of this legislation is telling survivors like myself that our stories matter to our government, and that we count in the eyes of the law," Niou said. The law gives survivors more time to file civil and criminal cases going forward, and opens the look-back window for old cases. Most survivors in New York used to be cut off after they turned 23.

"A victim would get their courage up, they'd go to talk to a lawyer, and they would be told, 'Oh you're too late. You're not just too late, you're too late by 20 years,'" said Marci Hamilton, who is director of the advocacy group Child USA and a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Critics of the look-back window say the cases may be based on faulty evidence or faded memories, but survivors say it's a chance to finally have their day in court.

Jim Corcoran, 74, is one of hundreds of people suing Manhattan's Rockefeller University Hospital over alleged abuse by one of its doctors, Reginald Archibald, who worked there for roughly four decades and died in 2007.

Corcoran said he wants the institution held accountable. "This guy was a predator," Corcoran said. "It's a common sense thing. You're a fiduciary, you're supposed to be protecting these children."Rockefeller Hospital has said it "profoundly apologizes" to any former patients who were harmed. This month, it sued its insurers to make sure they'd provide coverage for the lawsuits.

New York is not the first state to open this kind of filing period for victims.

California had a one-year look-back window in 2003, which led to about a thousand cases and hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

Since Minnesota closed its look-back window in 2016, multiple Catholic dioceses have filed for bankruptcy protection. New York Courts are expecting to see hundreds, if not thousands, of lawsuits filed in the coming weeks and months.

https://www.npr.org/2019/08/14/750881986/adult-victims-of-childhood-sex-abuse-in-new-york-can-sue-alleged-abusers

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Buffalo, NY

Active Priests Named in Child Victims Act Lawsuits

Very recently, Bishop Richard Malone of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo said the church, in moments of crisis, looks adversity in the eye, repents and moves forward. Paul Barr, an attorney and child sexual abuse survivor, disagrees. He believes the church looked away.

“I believe, right along, that the diocese actively hid all the stories that they knew about. Just like they hid my own story," he said. 

It's a sentiment echoed by another former priest, abuse survivor and whistleblower, James Faluszack. “We're simply trying to right a wrong," Faluszack said.

The two men announced at a press conference Wednesday that the law firms of Fanizzi & Barr from Niagara Falls and Phillips & Paolicelli from New York City have filed 10 lawsuits against the priests who worked in the Diocese of Buffalo.

Five of those accused have never been identified before, including Msgr. Joseph Gambino. Though he has passed away, he's now accused of sexual molestation at Holy Cross Church in Buffalo in 1948.

"Think about these poor folks that have gone unheard for decades and the silence, the shame, the brokenness that they operate in everyday of their live,” Faluszack said.  Two of the priests named in newly filed civil lawsuits are still working with the church. Father Peter Popadick was the former secretary to Bishop Edward Head and is currently serving at St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga.  

He's accused of sexually molesting a student at Bishop Fallon High School. 

Father Paul Nogaro, who's currently serving at St. Stephen on Grand Island, allegedly sexually molested a student at St. Mary of Sorrows Church and School in Buffalo.

"It's difficult, as a victim, to wait and see what's the result gonna be as a result of these lawsuits," Faluszack said.

Officials believe this is only the beginning as the list of civil lawsuits filed under the year-long lookback window opened through the Child Victims Act continues to grow.  

Besides the Buffalo Catholic Diocese, the Boy Scouts of America, East Aurora School District and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod were named in the Western New York region. 

According to the law firms, here are the 10 priests in the suit:

- Msgr. Joseph Gambino, deceased, who in 1948 is alleged to have sexually molested our client at Holy Cross Church, Buffalo.

- Fr. Paul Nogaro, living and currently serving at St. Stephen Grand Island, NY, is alleged to have sexually molested our client while he was a student at St. Mary of Sorrows Church and School.

- Fr. Peter Popadick, living and currently serving at St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Buffalo, is alleged to have sexually molested our client while he was a student at Bishop Fallon High School.

- Fr. Edwin Fagowski, deceased, is alleged to have sexually molested our client at St. Benedict Church in Bennington, NY.Fr. 

- Franklin J. Tuchols, living, who over multiple years, is alleged to have sexually molested our client beginning at St. Mary Sorrows Church, and at multiple locations including St. John Vianney (now Christ the King Seminary) and private residences.

Previously named priests in the suit against the Diocese of Buffalo:
 
Fr. Michael Freeman
Fr. Gerald Green
Fr. Brian Hatrick
Fr. Bernard Mach
Fr. William Ward

A searchable list of cases, which can be sorted by date and the county in which the lawsuit is filed, is available here.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2019/08/15/new-child-victims-act-lawsuits-against-active-priests-