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St. Paul University, Ottawa Opens Centre to Counter Church Sex Abuse Issue
Volume 33 Issue 10, 11 & 12 | Posted: December 20, 2019
OTTAWA (Ontario), Thursday, November 28, 2019 ― On December 4, Saint Paul University launched the new Centre for Safeguarding Minors and Vulnerable Persons, the first of its kind at a Catholic university in North America.
The Centre works to help eliminate the threat and trauma of sexual abuse in society and within the Church. To reinforce this mission, the Centre focuses on research and education, promoting prevention strategies and offering healing assistance to those affected by sexual abuse.
The Centre offers a variety of academic programs and professional development services, including seminars, on-demand learning and workshops.
OTTAWA (Ontario), Thursday, November 28, 2019 ― On December 4, Saint Paul University launched the new Centre for Safeguarding Minors and Vulnerable Persons, the first of its kind at a Catholic university in North America.
The Centre works to help eliminate the threat and trauma of sexual abuse in society and within the Church. To reinforce this mission, the Centre focuses on research and education, promoting prevention strategies and offering healing assistance to those affected by sexual abuse.
The Centre offers a variety of academic programs and professional development services, including seminars, on-demand learning and workshops.
The Centre also provides direct services, including consultations and audits for community organizations that wish to evaluate and improve their safeguarding practices and policies.
“The protection of minors and vulnerable persons calls for a radical transformation of the institutional Church,” says Dr. Karlijn Demasure, the Centre’s director. “The Centre strives to promote this transformation through research, education and best practices.”
The Centre’s interdisciplinary research explores the systemic issues underlying the problem of sexual abuse in society and the Church. It focuses on themes such as secondary victims of abuse, human trafficking and vulnerable persons at risk in certain contexts – including migrants and refugees, women religious, novices and seminarians.
In addition to serving the local community, the Centre intends to build and to expand global partnerships and online learning opportunities to promote safeguarding. Its international focus hopes to assist developing countries where civil law and best practices may not enforce the safeguarding of minors and vulnerable persons.
About Dr. Karlijn Demasure:
The university has appointed Dr. Karlijn Demasure as director of the Centre for Safeguarding Minors and Vulnerable Persons. Her expertise in the field is internationally recognized. She is a member of many panels and consultative committees on sexual abuse, including a safeguarding board of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).