A Month Of Work, Child Sexual Abuse Panel In Portugal Receives Over 200 Complaints

JAKARTA - A lay committee investigating child sexual abuse in Portugal's Catholic Church said on Thursday that during its first month of work it received complaints from 214 people.

The complaints came from those born between 1933 and 2006, telling of psychological abuse that was kept secret for decades, said the Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse in the Church.

"This suffering is associated with feelings of shame, fear, guilt and self-isolation, reinforcing the idea of a life in which the sensation of 'standing on the sidelines' is always present," the committee said in a statement.

Portuguese Church officials said two years ago that authorities had investigated only about a dozen allegations of sexual abuse involving a Portuguese clergyman since 2001. More than half of those cases were dropped because church investigators decided there was not enough evidence to pursue them.

The six-member committee, which includes a psychiatrist, a former Supreme Court judge and a social worker, promised anonymity for anyone who came forward. They officially started work on January 1.

The committee, which will report to the Portuguese Bishops' Conference at the end of the year, said its job was to study what happened to child sexual abuse, not initiate a formal investigation.

The multiple allegations indicate a strong possibility that other children may have been victims of the same perpetrators, the statement said.

Witness statements are received online, with victims filling out forms on the committee's website, or by telephone or face-to-face interviews.

The committee said complaints came from across countries, including Portuguese nationals now living in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, where there are large Portuguese immigrant communities.

As most statements are received online, the committee is stepping up its efforts to reach out to people in less developed areas of the country who may not be accustomed to using technology.

This includes using charities, civic associations, and parish councils to help spread the word.