Miami News Times - July 20, 2006
Don't investigate yourself, rabbi: Regarding Forrest Norman's "Yeshiva Dustup"
(July 13): It's important to remember that clergy abuse has nothing to
do with religion, even though you will find it in all of them
(Christianity, Judaism, Muslim, Bahai, et cetera). Sex crimes are about
an abuse of power and the need to control others.
Unfortunately
it's common for child molesters to choose careers or volunteer time for
organizations and/or institutions in which they have ample access to
the types of victims they prey upon. One of the biggest problems we face
is that instead of allowing law enforcement to conduct criminal
investigations, institutions attempt to handle things on their own. When
this happens, we end up in situations like the one we are seeing in the
case of Rabbi Yehuda Kolko and Yeshiva Torah Temimah.
Just
as we say, "It takes a village to raise a child," we can say the same
thing about sex offenders. When an individual suspects a child is at
risk of harm, we all must become mandated reporters. Let those with the
education, experience, and training collect the physical evidence and do
the forensic interviewing. This is not the job for our clergy.
Vicki Polin
The Awareness Center, Inc.
Baltimore, Maryland
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