Catholic League issues report on child sex abuse

Published: 2004-02-04

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has issued an eight-page report on child sex abuse in the United States. The report notes that complete statistics are difficult to obtain because sex abuse of children is often shrouded in secrecy and under-reported to authorities. It cites recent newspaper articles and studies done since the 1980s as the basis for data. "Too often, assumptions have been made that this problem is worse in the Catholic clergy than in other sectors of society," said the report. The aim of the report is "to challenge those who continue to treat this issue in isolation" by not examining the situation in other religions and professions, it said. The report, issued Feb. 2, is available on the Catholic League's Web site, www.catholicleague.org.

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