Cyrus,
As you may already know, Konbit Sante is joined in a partnership with Justinian Hospital.
Regards, Paul
Begin forwarded message:
October 24, 2009
Nate Nickerson
Executive Director
Konbit Sante
Portland, Maine
Dear Nate,
As you know from my previous letter, I am working with other advocacy groups for the purpose of keeping Douglas Perlitz in jail until such time as all the evidence and testimony has been presented at his trial.
Haitian advocates are afraid for the safety of the children who were allegedly abused by Perlitz. For the past year, Perlitz has been threatening and intimidating his former students and the witnesses.
These kids need everyone's help. It would be most helpful if Konbit Sante would formally ask the judge not to release Perlitz on bond until the trial has ended.
The bond hearing is on Wednesday, October 28th.
I have been rereading a letter sent to me by Dr. Michael Taylor, former President of Konbit Santi, on October 16, 2003.
At the time, U.S. survivor advocacy groups were calling attention to a former Catholic priest, Ron Voss, who was employed in Port au Prince by the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas. Voss is an admitted child molester who fled to Haiti in the mid 1980s when abuse allegations against him first surfaced.
At the time of Dr. Taylor's letter, I was scheduled to return to Haiti with your group for the second time in six months. I was trying to establish a partnership between the Cathedral parish in Portland and the Cathedral parish in Cap Haitian.
To my astonishmemt, the leadership of Konbit Sante rose up in opposition to my efforts to warn the Haitian community about Voss's past crimes against children.
I was stunned by your medical group's lack of knowledge and understanding about issues pertaining to child sex abuse. It was ok with Dr. Taylor if Voss continued to have unlimited access to children in a country with little law enforcement and hardly any child social service system.
Although Dr. Taylor wrote in his letter to me about his sorrow for those who were abused, he was mostly concerned about redemption for Voss, the admitted child abuser. Dr. Taylor wrote, "I would weep for Ron (Voss) if he were further rejected and banished (where to from Haiti?) and could not continue his mission to help the unfortunate in Port au Prince and through Visitation House assuming that he has been able to control his urges."
The "urges" Dr. Taylor referred to are more precisely described as the criminal rape and sodomization of children.
Last week, it was reported that a former Canadian priest has been arrested for sexually abusing children in Haiti.
The sexual abuse of children in Haiti is out of control. The press and media are now showing great interest in
this issue.
Perhaps, the past six years have provided Konbit Sante with the opportunity to better understand how devasting sexual abuse is to the healthy lives of children.
Therefore, I hope you will take a few moments to write to the judge with your request not to release Perlitz on bond.
Please let me know what you decide to do.
Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick
Freeport, Maine
|
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire