About 100 leaders from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tuscon received online training Saturday, Feb. 18 on recognizing and preventing child sexual abuse, in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona and the YMCA of Southern Arizona.Â
For several years, the two youth organizations have been partnering to provide training on abuse to local groups through the "Stewards of Children" program by the national organization Darkness to Light.Â
Compliance officers from across the diocese attended. These are the individuals responsible for making sure ministry workers have the proper oversight and go through a clearance and background-check process, said Rosemary Celaya-Alston, the diocese's director for the Office of Child, Adolescent and Adult protection.Â
The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2004 following costly lawsuits by and settlements with individuals who accused diocese personnel of abuse. Incidents go as far back as the 1950s, Star archives show.Â
"Your handshake and word that you are a good person are no longer valid," Celaya-Alston said. The Darkness to Light training joins similar training the diocese has already been using to protect children and vulnerable adults, she added.Â
"The more we talk about it, the better we can improve those rates, and the more we can prevent it and the more lives we can change," said Amanda Thomas, the director of communications and special projects with the YMCA of Southern Arizona. "It sounds so cheesy, but it's true. I encourage people to be courageous ... it's something for all adults. It doesn't matter if you're a teacher or a coach or a grandma or a parent. We all have kids in our lives that we care about." Â
For more information, visit tucsonymca.org/program/stewards-of-children
