Recently, within the last week. A Chabad cheder in a haredi town not that far from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. A 13 year old boy molests more than 10 younger boys, leading them into the bathroom and groping them. The administration of the school is notified. The principal warns the molester – you do this again, you get thrown out of school and we call the police. The school does not tell parents or arrange counseling for the victims – or for the molester.
Less than two weeks later the molester is caught abusing in the school again and is expelled or suspended from school. It is unclear if police are called. Parents are not notified. No counselors are brought in.
I told a parent of two of these victims, boys under 9 years old, that he needs to get them counseling and that he should be prepared to have them in therapy for a long time, perhaps for years, if necessary.
This molester was allowed to remain in school. Parents were not consulted. And, it seems, even now police have not been called. I used to think Chabad was better than most Orthodox groups when it came to handling abuse and molestation. I no longer believe that.