And she and Zarra cited national studies showing that one out of three girls and one out of seven boys are sexually abused before they're 18. As the numbers grow nationwide, religious institutions aren't exempt. Zarra points out that, according to the Church Law and Tax Report, reports of sexual abuse of children at the hands of ministers, priests, deacons, elders, church volunteers and others are rising. But churches are still reluctant to report, he says. The conference decided in 1996 to make the reduction of child abuse a priority by providing churches with a resource to help them develop preventive policies and procedures.
Education is the first line of defense in protecting our children.
From powerful experience I know this is so. Experts agree that churches can begin protecting children by screening and conducting background and police checks on volunteers and employees and by making new church members wait six months to a year before participating in children's and youth ministries. They also suggest keeping children from being supervised in closed quarters by a lone caretaker. We're not eliminating the problem as rapidly as we could, but I do see that happening in churches. Because they move on, they go to a different community and abuse again and again until they pay meaningful consequences.