The Battle of the Scandals, pt 1: The Nation-State
There have been a number of things about the recent UN committee report on (and the global response to) the Vatican’s role in clergy sex abuse that have given me pause. The first issue has been the one...
View ArticleCastillo victims settle with Diocese of San Bernardino
According to the Riverside Press Enterprise, two victims of convicted priest Alejandro “Alex” Castillo settled their sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits against the Diocese of San Bernardino for $3.8...
View ArticleHawaii Legislative Update
How about some GOOD news out of a state legislature? Hawaii State Legislature has TWO ground-breaking, victim-friendly bills that have just passed committee. Why the legislative attention? The current...
View ArticleVOTF National Assembly – April 5, 2014
Speakers will include John L. Allen, Jr., Associate Editor for Catholic news at The Boston Globe and founder of the Vatican beat for National Catholic Reporter, and Fr. Thomas Reese, NCR’s Senior...
View ArticleThe victims’ movement doesn’t discriminate
Bishops are very quick divert attention from their role in the cover-up of sex abuse by pointing fingers at public schools, where there is another, very real child sex abuse crisis. But why haven’t the...
View ArticlePrevent abuse: Go with your gut
A big question I get from parents is: How can I keep my child safe? While I have a book on the subject coming out soon, there is one thing we can all do right now to make our kids safer: Go with your...
View ArticleVictims Settle With LA Archdiocese for $13 Million
This just arrived in my inbox Media Advisory February 18, 2014 Sexual Abuse Survivors Settle with Los Angeles Archdiocese Archdiocese used therapy scam to defraud victims of civil rights Cardinal,...
View ArticleTHE WELL-ARMORED CHILD Book Proposal is already gaining interest …
I knew I wasn’t crazy to propose a book on child safety. I am very proud of how the completed proposal for THE WELL-ARMORED CHILD: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER FROM ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION has...
View ArticleMahony should be punished, Casteix says
Fox11 news coverage of yesterday’s press conference: Los Angeles Local News | FOX 11 LA KTTV
View ArticleResources: How do I get therapeutic help?
*This is the first in a series of posts on Resources for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse* Finding a good therapist and getting help can be the best decisions a survivor makes. But the process can...
View ArticleSafe environment programs: Safe for predators, not so much for kids
It’s like having a public swimming pool without a life preserver … A story out of St. Paul, MN, is a latest example of why so-called “Safe Environment” programs create a false sense of security and may...
View ArticleGerald Funcheon is back in the news
Crozier priest Father Jerry Funcheon, who is the subject of the first lawsuit filed under Hawaii’s civil window, is back in the news – this time because Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis church...
View ArticleUpcoming Panel in Honolulu: Civil Window, Victims Rights, Prevention
I’ll be in Honolulu next week to talk about child sex abuse, the Hawaii civil window, victims rights and abuse prevention. If you are in the area, I hope you can join us. Here are the details. The...
View ArticlePredators, Alcohol and Teens … a deadly combination
The sexual abuse of teens by powerful adults (teachers, coaches, priests, family members) is a trauma double whammy: teens damaged by the abuse AND they are often blamed for the abuse by community...
View ArticleIn crisis, Francis fails
One of the chapters of my upcoming book deals with what I call Institutional Rot, that is, why “good” people do and say bad things in the name of the institution and how children are caught in the...
View ArticleA year of Pope Francis
If someone had told me two years ago that a man like Pope Francis would be elected in 2013, I would have been skeptical. After almost 10 years of Benedict—a man with the public persona of a porcupine...
View ArticleJoelle live on Hawaii News Now Sunrise
Tune in to Hawaii’s KGMB (CBS) Tuesday at 7:20am (Hawaii Standard Time). I’ll be live on Hawaii News Now Sunrise, talking about Hawaii’s civil window for victims of abuse and abuse prevention. You...
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