Clergy Status: Child Abuse & Neglect

I absolutely agree with the state mandates which make Clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse and sexual molestation. It is our duty, as human beings, to report anyone who may possibly be a child abuser, regardless of our stance as Clergy members. It is our responsibility to protect our children, to ensure they are safe and have an opportunity to grow into responsible and supportive adults.

As a member of Clergy, you do have a unique opportunity to have information that a common person may not have. This is a bit of a quandary; however, the ultimate goal is to ensure that all people are safe and have equal opportunities, right? Perhaps I am a bit naïve here, but I have been a mandatory reporter for 11 years. I have no issues reporting cases that I feel are questionable. I truly believe that it is my responsibility to put children first, then families, then individuals. I hope that doesn’t hurt my stance as a clergy member!

In the state of North Carolina, which is where I currently reside, Clergy is permitted to keep secret cases of suspected child abuse or neglect based on the fact that it is privileged information. Unfortunately, this is true in six states!  As you can see below, from the childwelfare.gov website, there are many states that require reporting. Sadly, there are states (8 + Puerto Rico) who do NOT address this issue in their laws.

	Privilege granted but limited to pastoral communications	Privilege denied in cases of suspected child abuse or neglect	Privilege not addressed in the reporting laws
Clergy enumerated as mandated reporters	Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Wisconsin	New Hampshire, West Virginia	Connecticut, Mississippi
Clergy not enumerated as mandated reporters but may be included with "any person" designation	Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Utah, Wyoming	North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas	Indiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, Puerto Rico
Neither clergy nor "any person" enumerated as mandated reporters	Virginia, Washington5	Not applicable	Alaska, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, New York, Northern Mariana Islands, South Dakota, Virgin Islands

I feel this is very wrong. ANYONE who knows that a child is being abused should be required to report. Children do not have the power, and possibly not the voice, to protect their selves. I am very much pro-reporting. I love kids, I am a child advocate by profession, and I believe it is every adult’s responsibility to report child abuse and neglect.

All in all, if I am a Clergy member, I am fully ready to report any issues as necessary. If it jeopardizes my stance as a Clergy member, then so be it. I cannot imagine the Goddess and God having an issue with me protecting children. I believe they feel the same that I do. Children are innocent, precious and unable to advocate for themselves.