Wcasa Statement on Developments in Milwaukee Child Sex Assault Cases

SNAP Wisconsin
March 14, 2012

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The following statement was issued by WCASA, the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Wisconsin's largest advocacy organization for victim/survivors of sex crimes:

Recent reports in Milwaukee Federal Bankruptcy court indicate that at least 8,000 alleged acts of sexual assault and abuse were committed against children in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee over the past fifty years. The 570 adult survivors of these childhood crimes who filed a report with the court are to be lauded for their courage and supported in their efforts to obtain justice. They, and indeed all of us, are entitled to transparency and accountability from church officials concerning any policies and practices which have allowed offenders to evade justice and leave countless other children at risk over these many years.

Among the revelations surfacing in the reports submitted to the court are the existence of some 100 alleged clerical sex offenders, church employees, and volunteers not yet investigated or publically identified as abusers by the archdiocese. Some of these offenders are deceased, but a significant number are living and working unidentified in the community, some likely in a professional capacity with children and families.

Research on child sex crimes has repeatedly shown that most victims do not come forward and report the offense, and when they do it often takes years, if not decades to talk to someone, much less call the police. That is why, according to Human Rights Watch, less than 1 in 10 child molesters in the United States are known by law enforcement officials.

WCASA strongly supports the survivors, public officials, and others who are calling for an inquiry by the Wisconsin State Attorney General into this matter.

The 570 victim reports, and the tens of thousands of pages of internal church documents and depositions concerning the concealment and transfer of clerical offenders, now sealed in bankruptcy court, need to be put into the hands of law enforcement officials and child sex crimes experts.

Bankruptcy judges and bankruptcy lawyers are experts on bankruptcy law. They should not place themselves in a position of making risk assessments concerning child sexual assault or predators.

Faith communities can be a powerful, vital and indispensable force for the betterment and safety of Wisconsin's children. However, when evidence of widespread sexual abuse of children occurs in these communities, as within any community, it must be fully investigated, prosecuted, and exposed.