A dramatic decline in cases of sexual abuse by clergy and other church employees in the Los Angeles Archdiocese are the result of the enactment of "ever more effective methods for dealing with claims of abuse," according to Sister Sheila McNiff, Victims Assistance Ministry coordinator for the Archdiocese.

"As the causes and warning signs of abusive behavior became better understood by society and the church, the archdiocese implemented preventive training programs for priests, teachers, other lay employees, volunteers and children," wrote Sister McNiff, in an article and chart published in the Dec. 18 Los Angeles Times. "Fingerprinting and criminal background checks were required for seminarians, priests, lay employees and volunteers."

The chart, details the years during which 254 perpetrators were alleged to have victimized the 553 people involved in the civil cases in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Most of the incidents were reported for the first time as a result of lawsuits filed in 2003.

The chart details "a tragedy," but it also indicates that the Archdiocese's policies and procedures for preventing abuse --- first implemented in 1987 --- are working, Sister McNiff said. "By the mid-1980s, the graph shows that incidents [of abuse] drop off dramatically. For instance, while there were 49 offenders who abused victims in 1981, that number dropped to 11 in 1991, and there were none in 2001."

Sister McNiff added, "The graph shows that most of the abuse was clustered from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. The U.S. Catholic bishops have commissioned a study on the causes and context of abuse in the church to shed light on why incidents of abuse peaked during this period."

Discussions with adult victims of abuse "who suffered for decades in silence," she said, has led to a greater emphasis on creating "an atmosphere of openness in all of our parishes and schools," and a safer environment for children.

"We must remain vigilant," Sister McNiff concluded, "in our efforts to protect children, because the compulsion that drives molesters to abuse children is strong."

To view Sister McNiff's article, visit http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-op-mcniff16dec16,0,5799808,print.story?coll=la-sunday-commentary.
For an additional link to the chart, visit
http://www.la-archdiocese.org/protecting/pdf/
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