The Catholic Office for the protection of children and vulnerable adults (COPCA) in the UK has published the results of its annual report for 2003. The report (which can be downloaded from the website://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/copca) provides a detailed account of COPCA’s activities of monitoring and intervention. Drawn up thanks to the contribution of all 22 dioceses and for the first time 138 of the 184 religious congregations present in the territory, the report notes that 62 abuses on children and vulnerable adults were ascertained in 2003: abuses of sexual type (which account for 52 of the over 60 registered), but also physical and psychological maltreatment. But these numbers would need to be revised upwards, given that it is estimated that approximately 30% of children who suffer violence do not report it and tend to conceal the maltreatment they have suffered. Apart from these data, the annual report analyses specific policies to tackle the problem and new forms of cooperation for the protection of the weak and vulnerable. In a communiqué, project leader Eileen Shearer pointed out that “the policies for the safeguard and protection of children implemented by the Catholic Church in England and Wales are making rapid progress, even if much still remains to be done. The information contained in this report demonstrates how much effort and commitment there has been on the part of the congregations and dioceses of England and Wales, and the continuous recognition of this work by the bishops and heads of the various congregations is of fundamental importance for us to go forwards”.
