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Posted on 23 September 2018 at 08:00 | Updated on September 23, 2018 at 08:04
By Kelly Heyboer | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
If you are a victim of sexual abuse by clergy in New Jersey – or if you know someone who has been abused – state investigators say they are ready to listen.
Earlier this month, the state attorney general's office set up a phone line so that anyone could report cases of sexual abuse by clergy. The hotline is the first step in an investigation into how the New Jersey Catholic Church dealt with allegations of abuse following a similar investigation by a grand jury in New Jersey. Pennsylvania that revealed cases of violence involving 300 priests.
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said on Wednesday that the new phone line had "dropped out".
Officials from the New Jersey Catholic Church paved the way for victims of abuse to publicly speak to them by announcing on Tuesday that the church was releasing alleged victims of any confidentiality agreements signed with their dioceses.
Where should the victims call?
The New Jersey Attorney General's hotline is a toll-free number – (855) 363-6548. The hotline is staffed with trained professionals 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Attorney General's office said.
Who can call?
The hotline was created to take into account the sexual abuse committed by the clergy in the Catholic Church of New Jersey. The alleged victims, their relatives or relatives are invited to call, said the attorney general.
Can I remain anonymous?
Yes, victims and other appellants may refuse to give their names, but it is more useful for investigators to have names attached to reports, said Sharon Lauchaire, spokesperson for the Attorney General's office.
"Someone else may call on behalf of a victim. A name is not required, but the more information we obtain, the more we are in a position to investigate. We accepted anonymous reports, "said Lauchaire.
What will happen to the information I provide?
The phone line prioritizes calls and returns them for investigation, said the Attorney General's office.
"We do not discuss details about the calls we receive or other details of the investigation at this stage. However, Attorney General Grewal said he had discussed with Pennsylvania's Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, and that the ongoing investigation in Pennsylvania would shed light on our investigative methods, "Lauchaire said.
The information in the hotline will be given to a New Jersey task force investigating sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. The working group also examines whether the New Jersey Catholic Dioceses are following a memorandum of understanding reached in 2002 with the Attorney General's Office that has established rules on how the church would share information with law enforcement officials on allegations of sexual abuse.
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