CORNWALL INQUIRY

Groups urge more support for male sex-abuse victims

Toronto Globe & MailFebruary 28, 2009

The Canadian Press

CORNWALL, ONT. -- Male victims of childhood sexual abuse need specialized support services and a provincial ombudsman dedicated to their plight, the Cornwall inquiry heard Friday as the $40-million probe drew to a close after three years of testimony.

The inquiry, established to examine institutional responses to allegations of sexual abuse in Eastern Ontario, spent most of its final week hearing submissions dealing with allegations that a pedophile clan operated with impunity in the city for decades.

Lawyers at the inquiry cast the clan stories as fabrications spread by a misguided police officer and embraced by a panic-stricken community.

Yesterday, the submissions focused on healing and reconciliation for the community and victims.  

After a complaint in 1992 that a former altar boy had been sexually abused by a priest and a probation officer, many others came forward to allege they had also been abused by prominent people decades ago.

Many of those complainants were men, and a lawyer for the counselling group the Men's Project said even though there were a lot of community services in the city at the time, none could adequately handle men's counselling."

In fact, they had to bring in my client from Ottawa because they were the only ones with expertise to deal with this," David Bennett told the inquiry.

"Even though there were existing social services, they just weren't able to deal with it and [that's] why there needs to be a specialized area."

Both the Men's Project and the Victims Group urged the commissioner to recommend that the Ontario government create victim-treatment service centres for male survivors of sexual abuse province wide.

Both groups also called for the province to create a sex-abuse ombudsman.

"There has been a theme from survivors of not being believed, getting the runaround, being kept in the dark, which for some had the effect of re-victimization," the Men's Project said in its written submissions. "An ombudsman could rectify this."

In addition, the government needs to remedy how treatment for sexual-abuse victims is funded, the Men's Project said.

Currently, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care assumes funding for recent sexual assaults, but a year after the assault, service is often refused and the person is referred to community services run by the Ministry of the Attorney-General, the Men's Project said."

Sexual-abuse victims, either male or female, experience post-traumatic stress issues that can only be defined as complex, potentially disabling and requiring specialized treatment," the group said, in recommending the Health Ministry take responsibility for treatment funding.

The Men's Project said, given the economic downturn, they are worried the government will not have the resources to fund services for male victims of sex-abuse. But it's too important not to, the group said.

"To not deal with this issue, to not meet it head on, not to implement these types of recommendations, will cost the citizens of this province a great deal more," Mr. Bennett said.

In its submissions, the group Citizens for Community Renewal also pushed for an apology to sex-abuse victims and all citizens of Cornwall from the local bishop, the mayor and the premier.

Speaking in Amherstburg, Ont., yesterday, Premier Dalton McGuinty said he wouldn't comment until he has seen what Commissioner G. Normand Glaude has to say.

"I should wait for the report [and] see what recommendations flow from that," Mr. McGuinty said. "Who knows, the report itself may even speak to that kind of a request."

A school resource officer program that has seen police officers in 22 high schools in Toronto should be extended throughout Ontario, the Cornwall Police Service said.

It has been successful and would foster communication between police and youth, Cornwall Police Chief Dan Parkinson said after the inquiry.

"It is for young people that they can speak to police officers, that the barrier of fear perhaps is somewhat reduced and police officers in the schools ... are able to build those relationships."

The police also recommended a review of privacy legislation and how it affects sexual-abuse investigations. Police are not necessarily able to inform the public of alleged child sexual abuse, lawyer John Callaghan said. 

Ombudsman crucial, abuse inquiry told

After 3 years and $40M, Cornwall hearings end with call for strategy to support male victims

Toronto Star

Feb 28, 2009 04:30 AM Comments on this story (4) THE CANADIAN PRESS

CORNWALL – Male victims of childhood sexual abuse need specialized support services and a provincial ombudsman dedicated to their plight, the Cornwall inquiry heard yesterday as the $40 million probe drew to a close after three years of testimony.

The inquiry, established to examine institutional responses to allegations of sexual abuse in eastern Ontario, spent the majority of its final week hearing submissions dealing with allegations that a pedophile clan operated with impunity in the city for decades.

Lawyers at the inquiry cast the clan stories as fabrications spread by a misguided police officer and embraced by a panic-stricken community.

Yesterday's submissions focused on healing and reconciliation for the community and victims.

Following a complaint in 1992 that a former altar boy had been sexually abused by a priest and a probation officer, many others came forward to allege they had also been abused by prominent people decades ago. Many of those complainants were men, and a lawyer for the counselling group The Men's Project said although there were a lot of community services in the city at the time, none could adequately handle men's counselling.

"In fact, they had to bring in my client from Ottawa because they were the only ones with expertise to deal with this," David Bennett told the inquiry.

"Even though there were existing social services they just weren't able to deal with it and (that's) why there needs to be a specialized area."

Both The Men's Project and the Victims Group urged the commissioner to recommend that the Ontario government create victim treatment service centres for male survivors of sexual abuse province-wide.

Both groups also called for the province to create a sex abuse ombudsman.In addition, the government needs to remedy how treatment for sexual abuse victims is funded, the Men's Project said. Currently, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care assumes funding for recent sexual assault, but a year after the assault service is often refused and the person is referred to community services run by the Ministry of the Attorney General, the group said.

The group Citizens for Community Renewal also pushed in its submissions for an apology to sex abuse victims and all citizens of Cornwall from the local bishop, the mayor and the premier.

Speaking in Amherstburg, Ont., yesterday, Premier Dalton McGuinty said he wouldn't comment until he has seen what Commissioner G. Normand Glaude has to say.Top of Form

Groups urge more support for male sex-abuse victims

Toy Soldiers blogsite (http://toysoldier.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/groups-urge-more-support-for-male-sex-abuse-victims/)

The same posting appears on the WeMen blogiste (http://wemen.us/articles/views/294-groups-urge-more-support-for-male-sex-abuse-victims.html)

February 28, 2009 by TS

As has often been mentioned on this blog, there are woefully too few services available for male victims of rape and sexual assault. Far too often male victims get turned away from female-only/oriented services, cannot reach the few groups that do provide services for male victims or no such services exist in their areas at all. Unfortunately, this seems to be a particular issue in Canada, with very few services being available and the few that are in specific locales that many victims may not be able to get to. However, there is a push to create more services for the boys and men who need them:

Male victims of childhood sexual abuse need specialized support services and a provincial ombudsman dedicated to their plight, the Cornwall inquiry heard Friday as the $40-million probe drew to a close after three years of testimony.

After a complaint in 1992 that a former altar boy had been sexually abused by a priest and a probation officer, many others came forward to allege they had also been abused by prominent people decades ago.

Many of those complainants were men, and a lawyer for the counselling group the Men’s Project said even though there were a lot of community services in the city at the time, none could adequately handle men’s counselling.

“In fact, they had to bring in my client from Ottawa because they were the only ones with expertise to deal with this,” David Bennett told the inquiry.

“Even though there were existing social services, they just weren’t able to deal with it and [that's] why there needs to be a specialized area.”

Both the Men’s Project and the Victims Group urged the commissioner to recommend that the Ontario government create victim-treatment service centres for male survivors of sexual abuse provincewide.

The article also goes on to explain the importance of providing such services:

In addition, the government needs to remedy how treatment for sexual-abuse victims is funded, the Men’s Project said.

Currently, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care assumes funding for recent sexual assaults, but a year after the assault, service is often refused and the person is referred to community services run by the Ministry of the Attorney-General, the Men’s Project said.

“Sexual-abuse victims, either male or female, experience post-traumatic stress issues that can only be defined as complex, potentially disabling and requiring specialized treatment,” the group said, in recommending the Health Ministry take responsibility for treatment funding.

The Men’s Project said, given the economic downturn, they are worried the government will not have the resources to fund services for male victims of sex-abuse. But it’s too important not to, the group said.

“To not deal with this issue, to not meet it head on, not to implement these types of recommendations, will cost the citizens of this province a great deal more,” Mr. Bennett said.

It is a shame, but it is possible that the downward economy could prevent services for male victims from being created. While there are some, particularly feminists, who consider support services for males unnecessary or a drain on funding that could be given to female-oriented services, it cannot be denied that male victims make up a significant portion of the victims of sexual violence and deserve to have access to the same treatment and services available to their female counterparts. Whether these services will be provided is still at issue, however, it a welcome sight to see that men’s groups seeking to help male victims are finally being taken seriously instead of simply being mocked and attacked by feminists and women’s groups. 

Cornwall inquiry legacy lives on

Phase 2 recommendations include memorial

Ottawa Sun

28 February 2009  

By MICHAEL PEELING, STANDARD-FREEHOLDER

CORNWALL -- After three years the Cornwall Public Inquiry has come to an end.

The recommendations made as a result of its healing phase, known as Phase 2, by community groups expressed a common hope the inquiry's legacy would live on in the form of permanent victim support services.

Parties also expressed a desire to see a memorial to victims created and apologies issued from the perpetrators of abuse and the groups whose ignorance, actions or lack of actions allowed abuse to occur.

Of the eight parties which made submissions for Phase 2 of the inquiry, two chose not to deliver them orally to Commissioner Normand Glaude -- the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Upper Canada District School Board.

On behalf of the Coalition for Community Renewal (CCR), lawyer Juda Strawczynski expressed the group's wish that Phase 2 efforts will continue to foster a "socially inclusive" environment in the community so that adults who were victims of abuse as children don't feel excluded from society, regardless of their social status or sexual orientation.

CCR's recommendations for Phase 2 emphasized improving the protection of children as well as new legislation that would result in apologies to sexual abuse victims from the mayor of Cornwall, the bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall, the premier of Ontario and citizens of Cornwall.

"A memorial will remind the people of Cornwall to keep up the work started by the inquiry," said Strawczynski. "There are those who were opposed to the inquiry because they believed it would reflect only the negative aspects of Cornwall, but denial of the events discussed here will not improve the image of the city. The incidents of sexual abuse explored in Phase 1 cannot be forgotten or minimized."

Glaude is expected to deliver the Cornwall Public Inquiry's final report by the end of July.