Monday, November 7, 2011

Don't Live in Silence

I have to admit these findings about Coach Jerry Sandusky (Former Penn State Defensive Coordinator) of sexual abuse of young boys through his charity is very sad. (Here is an article.) Seeing people of power take advantage of people especially of children is tragic. Jesus called us to care for kids not molest them. This situation brings up several issues for the church and leaders to think about.

Questions to Consider
1. Is there a plan in place for how to handle abuse, both abused and abuser?
2. Who is responsible to oversee the carrying out of the plan? 
3. Who are the necessary people that need to know about the incident?
4. Do we know who to contact first beyond the local authorities?
5. Do we have a prevention plan in place?
 
In situations like this silence is never an option. The proper authorities must be notified and action must be taken immediately. Incidents like this cannot go unreported. As this story unfolds it will be interesting to see if any others will lose their jobs besides the Athletic Director and Administrator. Organizations must make it a top priority to proactively protect children.

What things/plan are in place in your organization to prevent and report an incident like this?

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