It is always difficult for former and current MK's and their families to know when to report abuse, and to whom the report should be directed. The first step is to report it to local law enforcement and child protection services, according to the laws in the country in which the abuse was committed, where the perpetrator and the victim(s) are now living and in the state or province in which the mission agency is incorporated.
Another step is to report the abuse to the mission agency / denomination which employs the alleged abuser and the victim. Often there are multiple victims and abusers over many years, and an Independent Investigation is required. Historically victims and their families have always needed to lobby for these Independent Investigations. Due to the desire to protect their organization and because of the costs involved, mission organizations and denominations have resisted truly independent investigations.
It is often very difficult for victims to determine who the people on the proposed Investigation Team are, and what their relationship is to the mission community they are investigating. The relationship of the investigators to mission leadership generally determines who will be interviewed during the investigation as well as who will receive interim and final reports.
The Child Safety Protection Network (CSPN) is a coalition of mission agencies that establishes what they term as Independent Investigation teams into allegations of abuse. The key benchmark CSPN uses for being “independent” is that at least one member of the investigative team be from a mission organization other than the one employing the alleged abuser(s). Thus, CSPN’s investigations are primarily conducted by mission agency/denomination personnel, which is one reason MK Safety Net cannot endorse CSPN investigations.
Victims are able to ensure the investigation into allegations of abuse is independent from mission/denomination leadership by using the following criteria. It is, of course, important that victim(s) require that this information be provided to them before agreeing to any proposed Investigation Team recommended by the mission. The Terms and Conditions the Investigation Team signs with the mission organization(s) should also include these criteria in order to ensure the cooperation of the organization(s) in providing needed information.
1. Members of the Investigation Team or Recommendation Team should not currently be missionaries or employees of a mission agency or denomination. Mission agencies should disclose both past and present relationships the recommended Investigation Team members have had with mission agencies. If they were employed as missionaries or in other capacities within the mission community in the past, it is important for survivors to know the status of their current relationship to those mission agencies.
2. The scope of the investigation should include all known vulnerable individuals to whom the alleged perpetrator had access. This includes contacting these potential victims to inform them of the investigation, and providing them with the opportunity to be a part of the investigation. Parents of potential victims should also be contacted regarding the investigation and be invited to report to the Investigation Team.
3. The original final report and recommendations of the Independent Investigations should be made available to:
Victims
People who reported abuse
Families of victims
Leadership of the mission agency / denomination
Past and present supporting churches / individuals
Leadership of the national church in the country where the abuse occurred
It is important to extend this information to local church leadership in the country where the abuse occurredbecause, in many cases, mission personnel have access to national children.
4. All information identifying the victims who reported the abuse should be removed from the report before it is distributed.
5. When criminal conduct has been determined, a report should be made to the police in the jurisdiction inwhich the perpetrator is living as well as national church leadership and police in the country in which the abuse occurred.
For further information or support, please contact MK Safety Net at info@mksafetynet.net
Tamara Rice Beverly Shellrude Thompson
Writer and Editor MK Safety Net Canada, President Emeritus
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