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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Abbi Nye
CFCtoo
info@cfctoo.com
North Country anti-abuse advocacy group supports CARE Act
Anti-abuse advocacy volunteers say clergy must be included in list of mandated reporters
Albany, NY:
Anti-abuse advocacy group CFCtoo will hold a news conference at 10:00 am on May 3 at the Million Dollar Staircase in the New York State Capitol Building. Abuse survivors, politicians, and clergy will make statements in support of the Child Abuse Reporting Expansion (CARE) Act.
“My church leadership’s failure to report my children’s abuse set them up for a lifetime of trauma,” says Michelle Wilbur, abuse survivor and CFCtoo advocate. “For far too long predators have been able to hide in churches where the pastors do not report the offender’s vile acts to authorities. Churches are a place for all sinners to feel loved. But it must be a place where the most vulnerable are protected.”
"As a Rabbi and a leader in my community, I believe supporting measures that protect the most vulnerable among us is essential,” says Rabbi David Ingber of Romemu. “The CARE Act is crucial in ensuring that clergy members are held accountable for reporting sexual abuse to the proper authorities. By making reporting mandatory, we can help prevent future abuse and bring justice to those who have already suffered. Our religious leaders are responsible for creating safe environments for our congregants, and I fully endorse the CARE Act as a necessary step towards achieving this goal."
The survivors of sexual abuse that CFCtoo represents are seeking to amend the current legislation on mandated reporters. CFCtoo formed in June 2022 when a child sexual abuse case came to light at Christian Fellowship Center in Madrid, NY. CFC pastors’ failure to report the abuse for over four years galvanized current and former CFC members to create CFCtoo.
“The New York State Council of Churches stands in solidarity with our sisters and brothers
who advocate for the passage and enactment of the CARE Act legislation,” say New York State Council of Churches President Gary VanKennen and Executive Director Rev. Peter Cook. “This legislation is one more way to identify and minimize abuse of the vulnerable. We wish to stress that in nearly half the states, clergy are mandated reporters. As a Council, it’s incredible to us that New York did not make this a requirement many years ago.”
CFCtoo’s mission is to:
Be a safe place for all survivors to heal. We will reach survivors scattered around the world through our online community.
Help people who are leaving CFC and who need urgent care. Our team members based in the North Country will provide tangible support.
Educate survivors and North Country residents about the complexities of abuse: how to prevent it, how to respond to it, and how to pursue healing.
Since June 2022, over 16,000 unique visitors from more than 60 countries have visited the CFCtoo website.
About CFCtoo: As a survivor-centered advocacy group, CFCtoo’s mission is to be a community of survivors helping other survivors. We do this by providing a safe place for CFC survivors to share their stories and find healing, offering tangible support to survivors who leave CFC, and offering educational content to survivors and North Country residents about the complexities of abuse.
Editor’s notes:
https://www.cfctoo.com/media