When it's Time to Get Help

Signs Your Child Is Experiencing Daycare Abuse

by John McKiggan

Is there anything more anxiety-inducing for a parent than dropping their child off at daycare for the first time?

Daycares provide an invaluable service to many families whose primary caregivers have to work long hours to support their young families. However, media reports have drawn attention to horrible incidents where children are being abused by their childcare providers.

Physical and sexual
abuse can have long term, detrimental effects on children. Abuse can take many
forms, the most common forms being sexual, physical, emotional and neglect.

Is the Pope Telling Priests to Break Canadian Law about Reporting Sexual Abuse?

by John McKiggan

Canon
6 of the Council of Trent states that – ‘If any one saith, that it is not in man’s power to
make his ways evil, but that the works that are evil God worketh as well as
those that are good, not permissively only, but properly, and of Himself, in
such wise that the treason of Judas is no less His own proper work than the
vocation of Paul; let him be anathema.’

What Does Canon Law Have to Do with Canadian Law?

Around
the world, the Catholic Church has been embroiled in a sexual abuse crisis that
has seen legislators, politicians and sexual abuse advocates challenging the
legitimacy of the Catholic Church’s claim that statements made in confession
are confidential.  This so-called seal of
confessional secrecy, according
to the Church
, is the absolute
duty of priests not to disclose anything that is said to them during
confessions.

Posted in: Clergy Abuse

Statute of Limitations in Canadian Sexual Abuse Claims

by John McKiggan

Our experiences play a big
role in shaping our mental health and well-being throughout our lives. Sexual
abuse, during childhood or adulthood can leave mental scars that can remain
with us for a very long time, affecting how we interact with the world around
us.

Recently, Provincial
governments across Canada have made a push to ensure that survivors of sexual
abuse have more access to justice without having their claims barred because
they were unwilling, or unable, to come forward until many years after their
abuse.

Previously, limitation periods prevented
access to justice for survivors of sexual abuse whose claims were not filed
within the “Limitation Period”. A Limitation Period is a deadline when a
lawsuit must be filed. Once a Limitation period runs out or expires, the
plaintiff may be prevented from being able to file a compensation claim.

What to Do If You Suspect Sexual Abuse of a Child is Occurring

by John McKiggan

You may have heard the term “duty to report” as it pertains
to teachers, professors and others who work with minors having a legal
obligation to report suspected abuse to the proper authorities in a timely
manner.

But you may be surprised to learn that, according to the Children
and Family Services Act (CFSA)
, every
single person
in the province of Nova Scotia has a legal obligation to
report concerns of abuse or neglect of a child under the age of 19 in order to
ensure children are protected from harm, and the failure to report is a
criminal offence. In other words, we all have a role to play in protecting our
children.

If you suspect sexual abuse is occurring and is causing harm
to a child, it is important to understand the legal requirements for reporting,
as well as how reports are handled once they have been made.

Posted in: Uncategorized

Pope Approves Law on Reporting Abuse Allegations: But has anything really changed?

by John McKiggan

Pope Approves Law on Reporting Abuse Allegations: But has anything really changed?

Pope Francis recently issued “sweeping
new sex abuse legislation
” intended to hold Vatican personnel and diplomats
accountable for allegations of sexual abuse by mandating the immediate
reporting of said allegations to Vatican prosecutors.

The changes were issued in the form of a 12-part Apostolic
Letter, marking the first time the Vatican has made reporting requirements a
law under the penalty of police intervention, fines and possible jail time if
members of the Church are found to have committed sexual abuse against “vulnerable
people,” who are now formally protected by the Vatican.

Posted in: Uncategorized

The #MeToo Effect: Pope Francis’ Admission of Sexual Abuse of Nuns Around the World

by John McKiggan

In a recent news conference aboard the papal plane, Pope Francis admitted for the first time that the Roman Catholic Church has faced a persistent problem of sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops.

Francis acknowledged “there have been priests and bishops” who have committed sexual abuse against nuns, and that “it’s continuing because it’s not like once you realize it that it stops.” He said the church needed to do more.

This comes after Catholic nuns across four continents have reported abuse, sought out abortions on the urging of clergymen, and even given birth to the children of priests in recent decades. Hope by survivors and the urging of allies—among those, affected nuns—has helped to finally put this issue on the church’s radar.

Preventing Sexual Abuse of Seniors in Nursing Homes

by John McKiggan

According to the 2016 census, Canada’s senior population (age 65+) outnumbered children for the first time since Confederation. While much public attention has been paid to the scourge of childhood abuse, it’s important to remember that Canada’s seniors are at as high of a risk of being sexually abused as the rest of the population.

The vulnerability of some seniors is aggravated by the fact that some seniors live away from their loved ones in specialized care facilities, where they are more prone to isolation and depression. With more than 5 percent of the senior population residing in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, the chances of sexual abuse going unnoticed for a period of time is unfortunately much higher than it has been I the past.

Our country’s seniors are entitled to respect and protection from something as heinous as sexual abuse. Learning to recognize the signs of senior sexual abuse, as well as how to stop it in its tracks, is important to ensuring that our country’s seniors continue to live healthy and fulfilling lives even after retirement.
Signs of Senior Sexual Abuse
Unlike children, who may not have the vocabulary or maturity to describe what is happening (or has happened) to them, seniors are often too aware that they are being taken advantage of. The shame and guilt of being a survivor of sexual abuse is something they might have been aware of for decades—meaning that once it happens to them, they will understandably feel trapped in their experience and not want to speak out against their abusers.

Cardinal Pell, Vatican Treasurer, Convicted of Sexual Assault in Australia

by John McKiggan

In December it was reported that Australian Cardinal George Pell has been convicted of five criminal charges of sexual assault involving two boys at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne Australia in the 1990’s.

There is very little information about the trial available publically because the Australian court took the unusual step of issuing a “super injunction” which prohibited all media in Australia from reporting on the trial.

This is actually Pell’s second trial on the same charges. The first one ended in a hung jury.

Preventing Childhood Sexual Abuse in Schools

by John McKiggan

While the majority of adults working in schools across Canada are unequivocally dedicated to making schools a safe, positive environment for children, there are those who seek to use their position of power for more nefarious purposes. Tragically some teachers have used the positions of trust and authority to abuse the children in their care. The survivors of childhood teacher sexual abuse, often carrying the burden and shame of these encounters for the rest of their lives.

In 2014, Statistics Canada conducted a general social survey of Canadians which included a sample size of approximately 33,000 individuals over the age of 15. Specific questions asked respondents to self-report abuse taking place in their childhood (before they turned 15). The results revealed that 8 percent of the respondents self-reported childhood sexual abuse — a figure that corresponds to approximately 2.4 million Canadians having been sexually abused as children.

Survivors: An Underrepresented Minority

Posted in: Uncategorized

Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony and Brett Kavanaugh: Echoing The Stories of Sexual Assault Survivors Everywhere

by John McKiggan

The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States has dominated headlines in the last week due to allegations of sexual assault brought forward by Christine Blasey Ford. Even as Kavanaugh vehemently denies the allegations made against him, and President Trump openly mocks her allegations, what makes her heroic testimony so important for survivors of sexual assault in Canada and beyond?

Ford’s willingness to come forward and break her silence as a survivor teaches us an inspiring lesson about tenacity in the face of public adversity, as well as the hurdles that many survivors must overcome to share their stories. In an era of unprecedented visibility for survivors, it is important now—more than ever—to listen to survivors whenever they are ready to share their stories.
Why Did Dr. Ford Wait So Long to Come Forward?
Many of the questions/concerns voiced about Dr. Ford’s allegations center around why it took so long for her to disclose an incident that happened decades ago during her and Kavanaugh’s teenage years.

In addition to public skepticism, Ford was openly questioned by Republican Senators regarding the credibility of her disclosure during and after her September 27th testimony.

Posted in: Uncategorized
  • badges