I found Kieran's overview very helpful too...my concern for kids safety in the undeveloped world was thoroughly challenged by Kieran's citation of the number of orphanages that still exist in such areas....we know that orphanages in Ireland, Canada, the US et al were locations of great abuse!


Kieren:
"The incidence of abuse in Australia has dropped significantly over the last 30 years, but then many of the systemic features that provided opportunities for abuse have declined or disappeared: the fall in the number of priests and religious; Catholic schools now staffed almost exclusively by lay people; the collapse of the altar boy system; and the church's withdrawal from boarding schools and orphanages. That is not the case overseas. The church still runs 9,492 orphanages throughout the world, most of them in underdeveloped countries."