A peek into safe environment in Austin & beyond
This past audit year, July 2023-June 2024, the diocesan Ethics and Integrity in Ministry (EIM) Office maintained a database of over 30,000 people, including clergy, employees and volunteers, who are required to have undergone a background check and received safe environment education.
Over 360 in-person EIM VIRTUS workshops were held for adults to learn about the importance of recognizing and reporting abuse.
This past audit year, July 2023-June 2024, the diocesan Ethics and Integrity in Ministry (EIM) Office maintained a database of over 30,000 people, including clergy, employees and volunteers, who are required to have undergone a background check and received safe environment education.
Over 360 in-person EIM VIRTUS workshops were held for adults to learn about the importance of recognizing and reporting abuse.
Over 26,000 children, grades k-12, were taught the VIRTUS Empowering God’s Children lesson. This lesson teaches children about appropriate boundaries and what to do if something happens that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
Every year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) publishes an annual report with national findings and recommendations related to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. In May, they published the report for 2023.
The annual number of allegations of sexual abuse by clergy has continued to decrease. In 2019, there were 4,434 allegations made, which is a decrease from the preceding year. In 2023, 1,308 allegations were reported. Of these reports, 70% were historical, with the alleged abuse occurring between 1960 and 1989. We commend these victim-survivors for coming forward and continue to pray for justice and healing.
For more information
about Ethics and Integrity in Ministry, visit www.austindiocese.org/eim.
Abby Turner is the director of the Office of Ethics and Integrity in Ministry. She can be reached at eim@austindiocese.org.
