Mandatory reporting of suspected or actual Child Abuse for Religious Institutions and groups.
- Target:
- The House of Representatives Australian Parliament
- Region:
- Australia
Religious groups and institutions are currently exempt from the reporting of child abuse, Various institutions have their own processes for the handling of complaints and some argue that the confessional forbids them from reporting to the appropriate authorities. Currently, the Jehovah's Witness organisation have the two-witness rule — which requires two eye witnesses to an allegation of sexual abuse — in cases involving children. Religious Institutions and groups should be subject to the mandatory reporting of Child Abuse.
It is a legal requirement in Australia for doctors, nurses, midwives, teachers (both paid and voluntary), police officers and boarding supervisors to report all reasonable beliefs of child abuse and sexual abuse to the Department of Communities - Child Protection and Family Support.
In Western Australia on 1 January 2009, the legislation that governs mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse became part of the Children and Community Services Act 2004. This Act needs to be amended to include religious Institutions and groups.
We the undersigned, humbly call on the Australian Parliament to amend the legislation that governs the mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse and other forms of child abuse in various States of Australia to include religious institutions and groups, and that they be legally bound to mandatory reporting laws.
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The Mandatory reporting of suspected or actual Child Abuse for Religious Institutions and groups. petition to The House of Representatives Australian Parliament was written by Georgia Prideaux-Cera and is in the category Children's Rights at GoPetition.