Chabad in Melbourne, Australia launched a "redress scheme" this week to help and compensate the many victims of child sex abuse at its Yeshivah Centre. But it turns out this attempt to apologize, help and compensate the victims of child sex abuse does not include apologizing to, helping or compensating those victims' families and the activists who fought to have the victims heard. These secondary victims were ostracized, harassed and even threatened, but Chabad is doing absolutely nothing to provide them with redress.
Chabad's Child Sex Abuse "Redress" Doesn't Include Victims' Families And Supporters Harassed And Ostracized By Chabad
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Chabad in Melbourne, Australia launched a "redress scheme" this week to help and compensate the many victims of child sex abuse at its Yeshivah Centre.
But it turns out this attempt to apologize, help and compensate the victims of child sex abuse does not include apologizing to, helping or compensating those victims' families and the activists who fought to have the victims heard.
These secondary victims were ostracized, harassed and even threatened, but Chabad is doing absolutely nothing to provide them with redress.
As John Leatherland, an "independent reviewer" for the "redress scheme" wrote in an email to one of these secondary victims, "I do appreciate the significant difficulties that you have faced. However I have to advise you that the situation that you have put forward does not meet the eligibility criteria for offering support for people who have suffered abuse, that have been developed by the Yeshivah Committee of Management as part of its Redress Scheme."
Leatherland provided a link to the criteria used to evaluate claims and a FAQ page, which says:
The purpose of the Scheme is to establish a process offering support to people who:
• suffered sexual abuse;
• that was perpetrated by a person who was employed or engaged by Yeshivah or who was a volunteer or a student of Yeshivah;
• while attending Yeshivah or a community activity of the Yeshivah Centre; and
• was under the age of 18 years at the time of their abuse.
So a male victim whose marriage suffers because of that childhood sex abuse cannot be compensated for couples therapy or marriage counseling.
In the same way, a family that broke apart because of the damage the child sex abuse caused cannot receive family therapy.
And of course, advocates and family members who fought to support victims and who were harassed, threatened on ostracized as a result are not even due a simple public apology from Chabad for this atrocious treatment, let alone any compensation for the costs they may have incurred paying for victims' therapy and related expenses or through damage caused by the harassment and ostracism.
Is the "redress scheme" a giant step forward as some claim?
I don't see how it could be considered anything much more than a fig leaf for Chabad's reputation as long as secondary victims are completely excluded.
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