WISCONSIN
SNAP Wisconsin
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.
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