The Problems With The Melbourne Jewish Community's Understanding Of Child Sex Abuse

Is Melbourne's Chabad-dominated Jewish Taskforce Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault failing to help victims of abuse while at the same time ignoring the majority of experts who say that the taskforce's approach to child sexual abuse is flat out wrong? Yes, it seems they are.

Originally posted at 9:20 pm CDT 10-18-2012

The Problem with the Jewish Taskforce Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault
Vivien Resofsky • Galus Australis

I have been attempting to engage The Jewish Taskforce Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault (The Taskforce) since 2006, both directly and in the pages of The Australian Jewish News because I am deeply worried by their approach – particularly by their assertion that children can and should be taught to protect themselves against adult predators. The truth is, they can’t.

I am so concerned that I have also submitted complaints to the JCCV, Jewish Care and the Rabbinical Council of Victoria about what I believe is The Taskforce’s dangerously misguided approach to a very complex issue; however, nothing has changed.

The best evidence indicates that we cannot leave children to protect themselves; however, The Taskforce refuses to acknowledge this. The Protecting our Vulnerable Children Inquiry Report (Feb 2012), weighed up all the worldwide research and evidence about the effectiveness of teaching children personal safety to prevent abuse. It accepted Finkelhor (2009 ),Smallbone et al. (2008) “There is little convincing evidence for the effectiveness of these programs for preventing sexual abuse.”

Ms Weiner, who has no degree or equivalent in any field related to child protection does not agree with the research. She states that, “Giving a child the tools to say NO denies the perpetrator the opportunity to abuse.”

Why would Ms Weiner advocate a position that goes against the best evidence? Unfortunately, Ms Weiner’s position is echoed by Mrs Balfour, head of The Early Learning Centre at Beth Rivkah, who believes The Taskforce – that schools do not need to educate parents, because children under the age of five can protect themselves!

Alongside Debbie Weiner, Taskforce board member, Sheiny New, also speaks publicly on behalf of the group and about child abuse. Ms New has spoken and written extensively about this issue, however, like Ms Weiner, she has no degree or equivalent in the area.

This information, however, is not available on The Taskforce website. In fact, much information about who comprises the Taskforce and their work with children is absent from their website. There is a serious lack of transparency that characterises the group. It is usual practice for a group that purports to protect children to articulate this and to clearly state it as part of their vision; however, the word, “child,” is hardly mentioned on The Taskforce site.

While The Taskforce has existed for 17 years, it only first acknowledged the issue of child abuse  in 2006. It then moved to gain a monopoly on the protection of our children despite its lack of experience and the lack of qualifications of Taskforce volunteers.

In 2006, The Taskforce emailed Di Hirsh of the NCJW, strongly requesting that Ms Hirsh and her organisation withdraw their support from a community child protection awareness and education campaign. The Taskforce’s reasoning for this demand was that they wanted to present an efficient and unified communal response to such a sensitive subject in The Taskforce’s forthcoming forum.

In doing this, The Taskforce successfully removed support for a campaign that included child welfare professionals so that a group of volunteers could be the sole providers of communal education on child abuse.

It is important to remember that The Taskforce is a voluntary organisation whose members are not professionals in the area of child protection; however, The Taskforce have positioned themselves as the community’s authority on the matter.

Because they have worked for 17 years to raise awareness of family violence, they believe that qualifies them to advise on child abuse. Not only is this a logical problem, it also requires a real leap of faith because The Taskforce has only spoken out against child abuse in the last 6 years.

The Taskforce personnel also base their credibility on the training they receive from experts. Many of these experts are highly respected in their fields; however, educational seminars that last for a couple of hours, or at most, a couple of days, can not qualify people to do the work of trained professionals. The Taskforce should not therefore position itself as able to give advice on a par with professional advice.

The Taskforce’s lack of professional personnel leads it to offer poor advice (such as the idea that children can protect themselves). Ms New’s public statement that with the right treatment, victims of child sexual abuse will be, “just fine,” goes against research that demonstrates that only 1 in 10 cases of abuse is even reported. Many abused children cannot get help at all, because their abuse is unknown. Educating parents to spot signs of abuse can address this issue. This is not, however, what The Taskforce is doing.

This makes Ms Weiner’s claim that The Taskforce is, “tackling abuse head on,” difficult to believe. Ms Weiner’s and The Taskforce’s refusal to support parent-directed education is evidence that best practice is not in place. Parents need guidance to help them learn how to assess whether or not good child protection procedures are in place in schools and other institutions. They need to know what to look for. For example, does the organization train staff about child sexual abuse? Does the organization have a code of conduct for adults working with children? Does it outline clear expectations about boundaries between staff and children? How is staff misconduct handled?

It is difficult to understand why The Taskforce relies on extremely out of date ideas of child self protection. We used to think programs that teach children to identify and refuse inappropriate touch would prevent child sexual abuse. Personal safety programs for children have been in existence for over 25 years but experts now advise that children can’t fend off would-be abusers by themselves.

The Protecting our Vulnerable Inquiry 2012, weighed up all the worldwide research and evidence about the effectiveness of teaching children personal safety to prevent abuse. It agreed with Finkelhor 2009 and Smallbone et al. 2008: “There is little convincing evidence for the effectiveness of these programs for preventing sexual abuse.” (The Protecting our Vulnerable Children’s Inquiry Report 2012)

Telling parents that something will prevent abuse when it clearly will not puts children at unacceptable risk. Sexual abuse is most commonly a gradual process of desensitization, further complicated by the power imbalance between the victim and perpetrator. Would-be abusers use a grooming process to gain trust and acceptance.

Grooming can be described as a psychological process that breaks down a child’s resistance by using techniques such as gift giving, engaging the child in peer like activities, desensitizing the child to touch, isolating the child and then making the child feel responsible for the abuse. Grooming can take place over months or longer. Those who would offend try to get themselves into a situation where they are alone with a child who trusts them. The abused child is then caught in a web of confusion, guilt, deceit and mistrust and a child commonly feels overwhelmed and powerless to stop the abuse.

Ms New, however, advises that parents should educate themselves and then educate their children. The Child Protection Inquiry, however, does not expect parents to educate themselves. It recommends that efforts should focus on raising public awareness of child sexual abuse and providing parents of all school-aged children with education.

Parents need to become aware and even trained in the defence of their children. They can create a barrier between those who would abuse and their children. They need to discuss matters with their children in language that is not threatening and gives the child age-appropriate references. Parents can vet situations when they leave their children in the care of others and ensure that stringent screening, monitoring, training and reporting policies are in place. They need to know the steps they can take when they suspect something is not right. Schools should continue to teach children about personal safety, but the responsibility for protecting children should be placed on adults.

Finally, we must ask ourselves if it is appropriate for a single group to address matters of abuse in both the Ultra Orthodox and less religious communities. The differences in attitudes, values, and culture are enormous between the extremely religious and the less religious sub-groups in our community. Can and should a single group be charged with such a broad agenda?

According to Ms New there are “Jewish” specific factors that impact on why victims of child sexual abuse don’t report. When she refers to “Jewish” factors, are these applicable across the board or only to the Ultra-Orthodox community?

When The Taskforce makes statements like, “We consider ourselves to be a light unto other nations, and if we start talking about violence and abuse in what we consider a perfect Jewish family that light will be dimmed just a little bit and she (the victim) did not want to be the cause of more anti-Semitism…”
or
“Living in a host country we would prefer not to create anti Semitism.”
or
(referring to the Shidduch system)“…The first question asked is: “Is it a nice family?” sexual assault does not a nice family make. Don’t be judgemental. If your brother had to choose between two equally lovely girls but one had been raped 6 months ago which would you choose?”

Do any of these statements apply to non-religious Jews who are the vast majority in the community?

Why then have the JCCV and Jewish Care welcomed The Taskforce’s attempt to be the sole organisation dealing with abuse in the community? Many non-religious Jews are horrified by such attitudes and might wonder why The Taskforce is not doing more to combat them. Meanwhile Ms New asks us not to be judgmental of that belief system. Surely such a group cannot represent our entire community.
***
Vivien Resofsky is a social worker whose specialist training (in both Australia and the USA) underpins her extensive practical professional experience in areas relating to child protection and domestic violence. She has worked with children and families at Jewish Care, The Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service and DHS Child Protection and is an accredited trainer of several programs.

Her writing has appeared in numerous publications; for the Australian government; and for the wider media, including The Herald Sun, The Courier Mail, and The AJN. Vivien is also the author of the highly regarded Wesley World series of books which are parent/child guides to personal safety.

Vivien’s work, which has focused primarily on child abuse in the past six years, draws together research and evidence-based theory, practical experience and programmes with evaluated, evidence-based success.

Vivien recommends parents interested in furthering their knowledge of child protection visit the following sites:
. Stewards of Children: www.darkness2light.org
. What do I say now? www.cfchildren.org
. Parents Protect: www.parentsprotect.co.uk

Manny Waks, the lead victim in the Chabad child sexual abuse scandal in Melbourne, had the following reaction to Vivien Resofsky's piece:

An outstanding and hard-hitting article by Vivien Resofsky....it’s a must read!

I’ve also been critical of the Taskforce. I don’t want to repeat everything that I’ve previously said about this group but it’s important to emphasise that:

1.    As contained in our submission to the Victorian Government Inquiry: ‘Ms Sheini New, the spokesperson for the Jewish Taskforce against Family Violence, an organisation established to combat family violence and child sexual abuse within the Jewish Community, is married to a member of the [Yeshivah Centre] Committee [of Management]’. This Taskforce has been silent in relation to the allegations of sexual abuse at the Yeshivah Centre. Moreover, Sheini New has been aware of the abuse for many years but has not addressed it in any public way—including apparently not assisting Police with their current investigation.’
2.    Many others have informed me of the Taskforce’s apparent incompetency—including when alleged abuse victims were referred to them.
3.    They refused to assist in a major communal educational event in the area of child sexual abuse simply because they were not the ones leading the initiative.

I could probably go on but not sure there’s even a need to add to what Vivien has written so brilliantly.

This is a matter of serious concern to our community and must be addressed.

Comments

[Aussie]

high time Noah the troll/internet vermin is banned....

[David]

The problem when one lives their lives upside down.

Posted by: Noah | October 18, 2012 at 09:42 PM

I know most frumma secular "education" finishes at the 2nd or 3rd grade but I thought that even then most kids understood that the earth was not flat. My mistake.

[A. Nuran]

I'm willing to cut them a certain amount of slack. There's a chance that a good amount of their nonsense is ignorance rather than malevolence

[Emanuel Newgant]

Fascinating, scary article. With all the prevalent conflicts of interest in the Melbourne Jewish Community, especially in the sexual abuse area, I’m surprised they don’t nominate Yeshivah Centre as the authorised training provider. In the meantime, their current “training” programs haven’t helped Telsner and others at YC.

https://www.facebook.com/manny.waks/posts/116338515190306? notif_t=share_comment

[jewishwhistleblower]

On a Chabad child sex abuse related issue.

The Boy Scouts of America formerly secret pedophile records were released online today and guess who is on the list? "Rabbi" Alan J. Horowitz. Apparently, his scouting history was kept out of the press thanks to the State Attorney being on the Boy Scouts board. The documents also show some of his connection to Chabad affiliated organizations in Iowa.

See: http://www.kellyclarkattorney.com/files/

[jewishwhistleblower]

released a few days ago not today

[jewishwhistleblower]

As part of Horowitz's earlier court ordered "rehabilitation" while on probation, Horowitz was ordered to attend classes at Ohr Somayach Yeshiva in Monsey, NY.

Horowitz is a member of NAMBLA (child-adult sex advocacy group) and has written articles for NAMBLA.

[jewishwhistleblower]

should be Jewish affiliated not Chabad

It is however common knowledge that Horowitz was involved with Chabad in Iowa.

[jewishwhistleblower]

He went by Mike Sonkin in Iowa.

[Steven]

At the time, dids in Kramer's class were not offered any councelling by anyone, and all the school kids were told not to discuss the molestations.

[Steven]

.......kids in Kramer's....

[Aussie]

Remove the words, "Catholic Church" and replace with "Melbourne Yeshivah".....

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/police-critical-of-catholic-church-over-its-handling-of-child-sex-abuse-cases/story-e6frf7kx-1226499319368

[Steven]

Which church are they talking about?

He said abusers targeted children after funerals, when they came for comfort suffering emotional distress, and of course at schools, camps, classrooms, homes, sickbays, even the confessional. The church's pattern of obstruction — alerting offenders that they were being investigated, destroying evidence, hiding documents from warrants, seeking injunctions to stop or delay police, moving offenders, discouraging victims from coming to police and much more — had not noticeably improved with the new protocol after 1996 that the Church claimed fixed the problems.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/awful-tally-of-abuse-opens-inquiry-20121019-27vqi.html#ixzz29jKqVoyf

[Jeff]

Makes no sense to me. From their perspective, wouldn't educating parents be more tzniusdik than exposing children to such pritzus and rasheis?

(I wish I didn't know what any of those words mean.)

[dh]

What do they mean?

[Jeff]

Tzniusdik = modesty

Pritzus = its opposite (I think)

Rasheis = wickedness

[John Bernadyn]

11/4/2012
United Advocacy Group, Inc.
John Bernadyn, Managing Partner

Troubled Jewish Teenager Describes Horrors of Sexual Abuse Growing Up in Foster Care
John Bernadyn, UAG
(CHICAGO) – As an innocent twelve year old boy, John Bernadyn was taken from his dysfunctional home and placed in to the youth welfare system of the state. “Freedom often comes with a price,” recalls Bernadyn.
After spending many years lacking sleep, recalling horrible memories, and avoiding social situations he published a memoir entitled, Betrayed By The State: A Ward of the State Speaks Out. “These horrors won’t stop with me. Every parent needs to know that they are at risk of hearing these stories from their children – if the state so chooses to remove them from their home,” said Bernadyn. The statistics do seem to warrant his statement. While many organizations spend time campaigning or boasting about the positive outcomes for those having grown up in the foster care system, the silent majority go unheard.
Shortly after arriving in his first foster care situation he contacted his child welfare caseworker to lodge a formal complaint. This started a six year journey of transfers from placement to placement that would ultimately land him in what he describes as ‘hell’ – including all the torments of physical and sexual violence. His final stop prior to exiting the system would be to live with youth from the department of corrections with serious problems. “I had to grow up rapidly in order to survive this situation.”
In Bernadyn’s account he alleges that the child welfare system was unresponsive to his needs and the needs of those around him. In fact, he says, “They ultimately stopped taking my calls.” He is grateful to the final judge he met and ultimately released him from these horrors in a heart-wrenching and detailed account of the courtroom scenario.
The successful twist is what does not get discussed in Bernadyn’s memoir. Bernadyn would later become a successful healthcare executive and managing partner of United Advocacy Group, Inc. Although calling Chicago his home, he travels extensively for speaking engagements and healthcare consulting. He may be reached at JBernadyn@UnitedAdvocacy.com or (312) 489-0632.
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