How ensure child abuse is reported in the LDS church - a start.

[yellowstone123]

If one confesses to child abuse to a church Bishop in Utah, Idaho or Arizona then the Bishop calls the church "hotline". The Church of Jesus Christ uses words such as hotline and risk management which has been used by child protective agencies for many years.

The thing about confessing in a Catholic setting or Protestant setting is that it remains with the priest or pastor. Not within the LDS church. Many people began to be notified with in the LDS church. They may not know the details but they know they person is excommunicated. In 1980 they would announce it to the Melchizedic Priesthood. Five minutes after the meeting men would put dimes in the pay phone and call their wives.

So suppose the Bishop is a doctor, supervisor for the Department of Children Services, nurse, school teacher, teacher Sheriff and many other mandated reporters.

They key is for the legislature to write statutes that if the Bishop, Stake President, High Counsel is a mandated reporter and hears of about abuse then they must report it to the state or county authorities first. If they own a car dealership, or was a mechanic at the car dealer, then sadly from from what I wrote it wouldn't be reported. But it's a start. Lawyers could also go after the employment of the mandated reporters as the reporter off duty behaved in a reckless manner.

I read a while back that the Catholic Church believes confession is a sacrament. If a priest discloses what was said during confession that priest would be excommunicated. The Church of Jesus Christ is not the Catholic Church. This is one glaring example.

I also read a while back about a case where a man in a high council court disclosed a man harming a girl in town in Oregon. She was about fifteen. A member of the council was a chriopratctor who under the state law was a mandated reporter. After the court in which the man was excommunicated he contacted the authorities. A criminal investigation was opened and the man was arrested, tried and sentenced to like 7 years in prison and the wife was suing the church because they felt everything said in the court was confidential.

I think the key is to move slowly and to ensure if the Bishop, Stake President, High Councilman is a mandated reporter and they would report to law enforcement first if the person wasn't a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, then being the member should make no difference. Imagine confessing to the town Sheriff who was the Stake President and believing you have a privilege of keeping the wrong silent. Start with those who hold ecclesiastical authority like a school administrator who is also the Stake President but does not report.