Reply To: Reporting Abusers

Syag:

I’m sorry if it didn’t come across in the right way, but I was in no way trying to downplay the severity or extent of abuse. And, as I have repeatedly said, anybody who looks away or who is lax in protecting victims from their abusers is complicit in their actions.

My point was simply that most people are not abusers and most people, whether in positions of authority or not, would agree that only the harshest, most stringent meausures must be taken. It simply came to my attention in a recent case that, when covered by the goyshe or non-frum media, unfairly attributed responsibility for the abusers actions to rabbonim and others who had contact with those involved. And, avoiding specifics or course, one particular quote was used, completely out of context, that gave a false impression of culpability that was not correct. If anything, in this particular case the true meaning of the quote meant the exact oppositeto what was implied. But due to those on the fringes of the community with malorous intentions, an undeserved chillul Hashem was caused that was not true to the facts of the case. I hope I have been suitably vague.

So in summation, I am not in any way attempting to diminish the extent of abuse, or the undoubted culpability of many, of whom there are those in postions of trust and authority, who, whether deliberately or passively, allow the abuse to occur and continue. I simply wish to avoid these cases being used as a vehicle for people with ill intentions towards frum people in general. And, due to the strength of emotion understandably present in these sort of cases, and the media storm that commonly descends, this kind of perfidy often goes unchecked, leading to false impressions.