February 14, 2006

Help lacking for male victims of sex abuse, expert tells public inquiry

CANADA
940 News

CORNWALL, Ont. (CP) - There is a glaring lack of social services for men who were abused as children, an expert testified Tuesday as the public inquiry into allegations of widespread sexual abuse in this eastern Ontario city entered its second day.

"More public awareness for men - in other words, how to access proper services and of course to provide those proper services - is very needed," said Dr. David Wolfe, a psychiatry and psychology professor at the University of Toronto.

"Even if you did decide to seek help or are under pressure of your family . . .it's not easy to find the right service."

When told only one organization in Ontario provides help for male victims of sexual assault, Wolfe said, "It wouldn't surprise me."

The independent judicial probe is examining how authorities, including police, handled persistent allegations that children had been sexually abused at the hands of prominent members of the Cornwall area for nearly half a century.

Posted by kshaw at February 14, 2006 04:19 PM