UNITED STATES
Wicked Local Easton
By Stephen May
Posted Jun. 22, 2014
Sexual abuse of minors continues to be a grave problem in the United States, as well as the rest of the world. One serious misperception perpetrated by the media is that Catholic priests are among the most serious offenders. Many of the misinformed have come to believe that Church policies such as celibacy and retaining a predominantly male authority structure are to blame for this situation. Statistically speaking, this is far from the truth. The purpose of this article is not to excuse the actions of any priest who has committed such an offence (there is no excuse), but rather to juxtapose the crisis within the priesthood to the bigger problem of sexual abuse of minors within the public as a whole.
In its 2010 report on Child Maltreatment, the United States Department of Health and Human Services stated that there were 712,506 reported cases of sexual abuse against minors. This is equivalent to 9.8 percent of the number of Americans under the age of 18. Of these cases, 578,768 involved one or both of the child’s parents (81.3 percent). The majority of the other cases involved foster parents or other relatives close to the child.
According to the United States Department of Education in 2011, “nearly 9.6 percent of [pre-K through 12th grade] students are targets of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career.”
These are chilling statistics, clearly indicating that there is a very serious problem in the United States regarding the protection of children from their most trusted adult companions.
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