BishopAccountability.org
	Editorial: Protecting Children Is Everyone's Job Sheboygan Press December 26, 2011 http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20111227/SHE06/112270325/Editorial-Protecting-children-everyone-s-job?odyssey=nav|head The executive order that Gov. Scott Walker signed last week requiring all University of Wisconsin System employees to report any suspicions of child abuse and neglect was the right move. It was also one that should not have been necessary. Protecting children from sexual or other forms of abuse should be a matter of everyone's responsibility, whether or not a specific law exists to require reporting. But since the state already requires health practitioners, schoolteachers, counselors and child-care providers to report instances of suspected abuse, extending the requirement to UW employees was a logical step. Now all UW System professors, administrators, coaches and school staff, will fall under the same requirement to report suspected abuse. The order also applies to people who are involved in summer camps or other programs in which children are involved. Walker's order comes in the wake of what transpired at Penn State University when school officials allegedly failed to bring suspicions of sexual abuse to the attention of law enforcement. Two Penn State officials are facing charges of perjury for allegedly lying to a grand jury investigating allegations of sexual abuse of children by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who now faces 40 charges of sexual abuse involving teen-aged boys. From what we have learned so far, it is clear that Penn State officials did not inform law enforcement when allegations or information about abuse was reported to them. It appears that school officials were more interested in protecting the image of the university than they were about protecting children from sexual abuse. This is very similar to what happened in the Catholic Church when sexual abuse of children by priests was met not with swift action to stop it, but by moving suspected abusers to another church. The church is mired in dozens of lawsuits over its failure to act and the church will likely pay millions of dollars to the victims for this failure. Since children who are victims of sexual abuse are often reluctant — and sometimes even fearful — to report the attack to authorities, we must ensure that adults who have responsibility for children's welfare take the responsibility seriously. Walker's order to Wisconsin school officials stipulates that university officials have to report child abuse immediately or risk criminal prosecution. This may seem harsh or over-reactive, but given the number of high-profile instances in which known child sexual abuse has been swept under the rug, we think Walker is making the correct call.
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