February 23, 2006

High profile a license to abuse

CANADA
Ottawa Sun

By TERRI SAUNDERS, CP

CORNWALL -- The more respected a person is in society the more likely he is to believe he can get away with hurting a child, an expert told the inquiry into the handling of child sex abuse allegations here.

"The more status they have, the more they can get away with it," Peter Jaffe, a professor at the University of Western Ontario told the inquiry.

That can be especially true with officials within the church, said Jaffe, an expert in child sexual abuse and institutional response.

"Churches have had a profound influence on our communities historically, and when it comes to abuse with a church organization, there is no (professional standards group) to report to," he said yesterday.

Posted by kshaw at February 23, 2006 08:39 AM