Chief Rabbi backs inquiry call for mandatory reporting of sexual abuse
'We must not stand idly by, while our children are in danger' says Rabbi Mirvis
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| Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis |
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has issued a strong statement in support of the call by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse for mandatory reporting of suspected abuse.
On Thursday, the IICSA published its final report after a seven year investigation, recommending that people who work with children in positions of responsibility should face prosecution if they do not report incidents of abuse.
The inquiry, said Rabbi Mirvis, "has issued a clarion call, urging us to do more to protect our children from the scourge of sexual abuse. Its recommendation for a new law, creating a duty to report abuse provides a next vital step forward in this regard and is to be welcomed.”
Its final report, he said, “describes how shame, honour and victim blaming, create barriers to reporting, particularly in faith communities. Tragically, we have seen evidence of such barriers in a Jewish context and it is essential that we work together to rid the Jewish community of them.
“We must do more to ensure child protection policies and procedures are up to date, actionable and effective across our communal organisations.”
More also must be done, he said, "to educate our entire community, particularly our children, so that we better understand how to identify, challenge and report inappropriate physical contact with others, as well as the patterns of behaviour that can lead to child sexual abuse and any other form of abuse.
“We have seen the consequences of failing to afford these protections to our children both at home and abroad and if we fail to act, I fear that yet more innocent lives will be destroyed. We must not stand idly by, while our children are in danger.”
Erica Marks, chief executive of the charity Migdal Emunah which was founded nine years ago to support victims of abuse in the Jewish community, welcomed the inquiry’s recommendations.
Migdal Emunah was one of the Jewish organisations which gave evidence to the inquiry.
The issues arising from the report would be “challenging for police, statutory services and communities to resolve,” she said.
“Achieving the aims of this report, and ensuring that child protection is given top priority, will require sustained funding to agencies across all communities who support children and families.”
It would “require swift changes to the law - especially around mandatory reporting and obligations for professionals - and a commitment to training and oversight of communities, which the commission proposes is led by a Children’s Minister.”
The costs of making the changes would, she said, be “recouped by better physical and mental health, as fewer people will experience sexual abuse”.
READ MORE: Religious figures should not be 'exempt' from mandatory reporting of abuse