Child sexual abuse is a worldwide public health issue. Child abuse, particularly child sexual abuse, is reprehensible—especially when the wrongdoer is affiliated with the Church. The VIRTUS® programs assist the Church in being a safe haven for children and a messenger for preventing child sexual abuse within the Church and society in general. We seek to achieve this lofty goal through our child sexual abuse prevention program: Protecting God's Children®.
Why Does It Work? Child abusers seek to operate and abuse their power within nurturing, child-friendly environments where it is assumed that nobody would want to harm a child. Religious organizations of all faiths are an easy target. The Protecting God's Children program implements safety mechanisms that send a message to all abusers and potential abusers:
Child abuse is not tolerated,
Children are vigilantly protected,
Victims are listened to, heard, and shielded from further abuse, and
Offenders are identified and punished.
By utilizing best practices for training and loss prevention, the Protecting God's Children program helps make churches safe for all people—especially children.
The information above is from the VIRTUS Website. To learn more about VIRTUS please visit:
Child Protection at OLPH All staff members at OLPH must complete the VIRTUS Protecting God's Children program. Volunteers, 18 years and older, especially those serving in ministries with children and teenagers, are also required to complete the program.
For additional information on Protecting God's Children at OLPH please click here or contact...
Lynne Tanner Local Safe Environment Coordinator Our Lady of Perpetual Church, Oakland, NJ [email protected] -or- 201-337-7596, ext. 310