Any instance of any person being rejected from working w/ kids due to being an abuse victim

General Questions
#1

According to http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11446382#post11446382 , some people feel that men who have been molested/sexually abused as boys are potential abusers themselves. Has it ever happened that a man was rejected from a position involving care of children because he was molested, when he was otherwise qualified?

E.g.

“So Joe, how did you decide to be an accountant?”

“Well, all my childhood I wanted to be a Catholic priest. I loved the Church and my best mentor was Father Andrew. But then, at age 15 I went to Boy Scout camp and one of the scoutmasters raped me. I got my BA, then applied to seminary, but was told that because I am a sexual abuse survivor, I am ‘potentially dangerous’ and can’t be trusted with kids.”

#2

Sure. My church has all vounteers who work with children pass a background check, and also a check yes/no box (on the application) asking if you’ve been an abuse victim. Those who check “yes” are excluded.

#3

I apologize in advance for spewing opinionated vitriol in GQ, but quite frankly, that’s fucked up. Why can’t each applicant be evaluated individually? Anyway, sorry—I’ll take it to GD if anybody wants to talk about it.

#4

Seriously. Who knows better how to relate to an abused kid than someone who was abused as a kid? Of course I say that because I was abused as a kid. People who had a well-adjusted childhood can still do a good job helping abused kids, but they cannot actually relate to the child’s experience.

Of course you want to get well-adjusted adults and not ones who are abusing or being abused as an adult. Beyond that, though, why not?

/shruggle

#5

<Kyle Broflowski>Really?</Kyle Broflowski>

I’m imagining some potentially unjust results of such a policy:

"Bulletin: North Palisades Baptist Church:

Notices: William Smith, one of our 17 year olds, recently visited extended family in Florida, where he was inappropriately touched by his Uncle George. Due to church policy, he has been stripped of his position as activities planner for the under-5 nursery program, and has been added to the Diocese’s list of Potentially Dangerous People. The church is seeking a never-molested person to serve as his replacement. Please contact the Assistant Pastor if you are interested.

Prayer Concerns: William Smith asks for prayers as to his career ambitions, as he realizes that his new status as a sexual abuse victim will make it impossible to become a schoolteacher as he was planning. Even though his career dream is closed now, he wants to help other achieve it, so he asks that other teenagers with ambitions to work with children avoid visiting single men.

"

#6

Dear Sir or Madam: I am outraged that you would allow to be printed “advice” from a known abuse victim to children. This is not the sort of person we would let near our children. We should not allow them to be making statements attempting to influence them in our church bulletin no less, and your publication of such material is inappropriate and shameful. I demand an immediate retraction and apology, and encourage children not to listen to this William Smith.

#7

What is “abuse”? Sexual only? Physical? Emotional abuse? Neglect?

Plus, one of the characteristics of abused people is that despite the more open attitudes today (so far) many do not want to admit it, let alone talk about it. It’s not like there’s a registry of abused people to check up on the applicant.

I believe it falls under the category of “NOYFB”.