Here’s another article lauding the parish sex abuse training program, “Protecting God’s Children.” It’s a program for adults in the parish, particularly those involved in various ministries, to train them to look for warning signs of sex abuse of children. They show several videos, including one featuring convicted child molesters talking about how the went about their perversion.
It sounds good, but I’m wary of the program, both in itself and its implementation. For one thing, in Boston everyone who volunteers in any way is required to take it, but in some places teens are involved in religious education taking classes. And when some teenage girls were forced to watch the videos they became very disturbed, had nightmares, and so on. Some of the adults were also disturbed by having to watch the videos of the sexual predators, but isn’t forcing teens to watch another form of abuse?
Uh…while I admire the Tylenol people in their moves to successfully regain market share, I don’t consider myself a piece of aspirin, alternative or otherwise.
Speaking of alternatives? Yes, “common sense” might indeed be one, if not THE alternative to this nonsense.
Says Naff: “If guidelines are strictly followed, such as always having more than one adult present or in sight of children, it can actually be freeing.”
I disagree. Instead I offer this:
“If guidelines are strictly followed—like, let’s just say, the Commandments, you twit!—then maybe, just maybe, kids and teens won’t be abused. If they ARE abused, those same guidelines, strictly followed, will tell us how to handle it.”