THE

SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN IN RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS IS STILL BEING REPORTED, 20YEARS AFTER NATIONAL

POLICIES WERE PUT IN PLACE TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND WOMEN.

NOW NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT TALKING ABOUT ABUSE IN CHURCH SERMONS COULD HELP SHATTER THE SECRECY ... AND PROTECT CHILDREN IN THE FUTURE

.

NEWSWATCH'S MAEGEN KULCHAR EXPLAINS.

CHRIS WALKER HAS BEEN PREACHING

IN A VARIETY OF CHRISTIAN

DENOMINATIONS SINCE 1973.

OVER THE YEARS HE HAS

SERVED AS MINISTERAT A NUMBER OF CHURCHES ACROSS ONTARIO AND THE

U-S AND IS AWARE OF SOME OF THE ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AGAINST LEADERS IN POWER.

CHRIS WALKER:

"SOME MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT EVERY FAITH TRADITION NOW HAS TO HAVE SOME KIND OF POLICY IN PLACE, ITS A REQUIREMENT BECAUSE WE ARE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS."

THE NATIONAL POLICY CAME INTO EFFECT IN 1992, AND EVEN THOUGH IT VARIES AMONG

RELIGIONS,

ITS BOTTOM LINE REMAINS THE SAME.....TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND WOMEN.

A PIVOTAL TURNING POINT ACCORDING TO QUEEN'S RESEARCHER TRACY TROTHEN-- WHO BELIEVES ITS STEMS FROM A NUMBER OF SEXUAL ABUSE CASES.

DR TRACY TROTHEN/QUEENS:

"THE CASE IN MOUNT CASHEL ORPHANAGE IN MOUNT CASHEL IN NEWFOUNDLAND IN THE LATE 80'S AS WELL AS THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL ABUSES THAT THE INLAND CHURCH AND ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES"

OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS TROTHEN AND HER GROUP OF RESEARCHERS EXAMINED SIX DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING, ANGLICAN, MENNONITE, AND ISLAM TO FIND OUT HOW THEY DEAL WITH ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE. MAEGEN KULCHAR:

"RESEARCH FOUND THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE POLICIES IN PLACE FOR VARIOUS RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS, IT'S STILL NOT ENOUGH TO BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE" IN ORDER TO BREAK THE SILENCE TROTHEN SAYS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MUST BE TALKED ABOUT MORE, AND

THE FOCUS OF

MORE RELIGIOUS SERMONS.

DR TRACY TROTHEN/QUEENS:

"BY SHATTERING THE ILLUSION THAT IT CAN'T HAPPEN IN MY HOME, MY CHURCH, IN MY MOSQUE, IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD IN MY SPORT AND START TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND YOUTH."

SOMETHING CHRIS WALKER HAS STARTED TO DO OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS....BY TALKING WITH

MEMBERS OF

HIS CONGREGATION ABOUT DESTRUCTIVE ISSUES SUCH AS SEXUAL ABUSE.

MAEGEN KULCHAR CKWS NEWSWATCH KINGSTON.