Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: Press statement from Catholics for a Free
Choice, commending the Committee on the
Rights of the Child for addressing the issue of
sexual abuse and exploitation of children
within the framework of religious institutions in
the Philippines.
14 JUNE 2005
Media Contacts:
Michelle Ringuette
+1 202 986 6093; +1 202 550 1321 cell
www.catholicsforchoice.org
Catholics for a Free Choice Commends UN Committee on the Rights of the
Child for Pursuing Justice for Clergy Sexual Abuse Victims in the Philippines
[WASHINGTON, DC] - As a special UN Committee completes its review of
the Philippines’ compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, commends its
members for the concern and compassion they demonstrated in their
observations of the alleged cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of
children by those affiliated with religious institutions in the Philippines.
“Clergy sexual abuse is a global problem,” said Kissling. “It is imperative
that individual nations assume responsibility for the welfare of their young
citizens and take steps to protect their youth from this type of abuse. In
order to promote the safety and welfare of children, governments -
particularly those who have pledged to honour the Convention on the
Rights of the Child - must hold the Vatican and its national officials and
employees accountable.”
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child found that there is a problem
in the Philippines with the sexual abuse and exploitation of minors in the
framework of religious institutions in the Philippines. In its observations,
the committee clearly stated in Paragraph 51:
"The Committee recommends the State party to take effective measures to
prevent and protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation in the
framework of religious institutions, including by investigating the
magnitude of such cases and by ensuring that the perpetrators of such
abuse are brought to justice and that officials of religious institutions are
held accountable in these cases of sexual abuse and the exploitation of
minors."
Kissling applauded the UN Committee for urging the government of the
Philippines to take measures to prevent and protect children from sexual
abuse and exploitation within the framework of religious institutions.
Earlier this year, Catholics for a Free Choice, along with two NGOs in the
Philippines - LIKHAAN or Linangan ng Kababaihan, Inc. (Centre for
Women’s Development, Inc.) and the Child Justice League, Inc. (CJLI) -
submitted an NGO report on clergy sexual abuse in the Philippines.
“One of the reasons that governments must step up is that we have a
clear sign from Vatican that sex abuse is not a priority,” said
Kissling. “Catholics worldwide have little confidence that the Holy See, on
its own, will adequately address the problem of child sexual abuse by its
clergy. Therefore, Catholic groups are appealing to the UN to address this
problem through the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the Holy
See has also signed. Church leaders have attempted to minimise the
problem by claiming it is largely confined to the United States. While we
hoped that Pope Benedict XVI, in his first 100 days as pope, would meet
with survivors of sexual abuse and initiate a serious investigation of the
problem, we are seeing a lack of interest and concern from the Vatican.
Subsequently, we believe that secular authorities - in particular the UN,
where the commitment to children’s rights is strong - is the best hope for
children to find justice.”
In May of this year, Vatican officials contacted the US State Department
seeking immunity for Pope Benedict XVI as a head of a foreign state in a
sex abuse lawsuit filed in Houston, Texas. Earlier that month, a Vatican
official stated that they would not investigate allegations of abuse against
the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ.
Since 2002, CFFC has partnered with national-level child rights
organisations and progressive Catholic reform groups to produce and
submit Shadow Reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child during
their examination of the periodic reports submitted by various States
Parties. NGO reports on clergy abuse have been submitted to the
Committee on the Rights of the Child for Canada, Germany, France, Austria,
the Philippines, and most recently, Australia.
—end—
The full shadow report on the Holy See and the Philippines is available on
Catholics for a Free Choice website:
http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/activepubs/seechange/philippinesshado
wreport.pdf. For more information, please visit www.bishopswatch.org.
Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) is a non-governmental organisation with
special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
of the United Nations. CFFC shapes and advances sexual and reproductive
ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to women’s well-
being, and respect and affirm the moral capacity of women and men to
make sound decisions about their lives. Through discourse, education and
advocacy, CFFC works in the United States and internationally to infuse
these values into public policy, community life, feminist analysis and
Catholic social thinking and teaching.