| AA Member and serial child molester Priest Vincent McCaffrey says he can’t stop molesting kids and was treated for alcoholism by attending AA meetings. This has been very typical for priests that are known to molest minors to be required to attend AA meetings by the church. Continue reading |
Now this is rich, some AA members are actually showing concern for minors at meetings and wanting to do something about it. Yet they are shot down, because of liability concerns. If they admit there is a problem with minors not being safe at AA meetings, then you are looking at liability concerns. For anyone reading this in AA, let it be known that MANY people are aware of this problem including AA headquarters In New York City. We know you know! There is no way to pretend that you do not know. It is an outrageous statement to come back with. They put it all on the groups themselves. To protect minors in AA should be a priority that includes AA headquarters. Of course anything each group decides to do to protect minors in meetings would be helpful.They can stop inviting minors, not allow mandated minors and stop having youth outreach campaigns to have minors come to adult AA meetings! You need to look at what Alateen does to protect minors.
Here are some of the highlights presented by our Southeast Regional Trustee
The General Service Board received a request to develop a policy on making the rooms safe for young people who are coming to AA. They wanted to be sure minors are being protected. We received all kinds of background material as to why our rooms aren’t safe from predators. The idea was sent to the General Service Board, and the board sent it to a committee. The committee deliberated and said we want the rooms safe for everybody. The question is, is that just in the AA meeting room or is that outside the meeting room’ The Board had a discussion as to what do we do’ The decision was that it was the responsibility of each group. All that we could do as a Board is to say that it is the responsibility of each group. Part of that is because we have no authority to tell groups how they need to function or what they need to do. That’s the groups’ autonomy. The other part is that we may not know what the issues may be in your group or your community. We need to work hard to make sure the rooms are safe.
Question ‘ Would it be reasonable to have a service piece on the safety in the rooms of AA that might open the eyes of the fellowship’
Answer ‘ I am not an attorney but we have had counsel indicate that if you say there may be a problem and you don’t do something about it, and there is a problem, then you may be liable because you have said there may be a problem. The best way of saying it is, if we print anything that says there may be a problem then if there is a problem then we got a problem. We not only struggle with the spiritual responsibilities but the legal responsibilities in providing information. So the board decided to send people out, like me, and you to do something about it. If your Area feels like we need a written piece, then that is where the voice needs to come.
http://www.area26.net/Reports/2010-10-9-10_Area_26_Reports_For_Oct_2010.htm#District_26
Insurance provider State Farm shows concerns over churches in the state of Florida and dropped them. To insure churches they want to see safety guidelines in place in regard to children, if they want to obtain ” abuse and molestation” coverage. I wonder if the insurance companies that insure Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous realize that courts are mandating level 3 sex offenders, and violent felons to 12 step programs? Many of them located in the very basements of the churches they insure. I also wonder if the insurance companies have any idea that felons are sponsoring minors in AA/NA ? AA/NA provide no background checks unless they are going into a prison. So lets see, in prison there is very high security to protect inmates and juveniles. To sponsor a minor on the outside of detention centers AA has no such requirements. Are the insurance companies taking this into account when they are insuring these high risk 12 step groups? It would be nice if they put requirements on AA like they are doing with the churches. This is what changed the churches policies on dealing with sexual predator behavior in their congregations. To get insurance they HAD to start dealing with it to some extent. Of course they are dealing with hundreds of claims annually through protestant churches alone. They would probably would have thousands more without the changes. As we know in AA, many sexual assaults go unreported because of the principles of maintaining anonymity. Of course their lawsuits dealing with AA are swept under the rug.
Matt Carlucci, with the Jacksonville, Florida-based Brightway Insurance Agency, said churches pose a number of special risks, especially those that operate day care centers and schools.
To obtain so-called “abuse and molestation” coverage, churches must show they perform background checks on employees and volunteers. Additionally, insurers may require that the schools and day care centers have in place rules such as not allowing males employees to be alone with a child and maintaining a certain ratio of teachers to students.
“To get coverage, the churches are going to have to prove they have those procedures in place,” said Carlucci.
http://www.mynewmarkets.com/articles/180969/state-farm-to-stop-insuring-churches-in-florida