SPRINGFIELD (MA)
WGGB/WSHM TV
March 1, 2019
Just days after the Hampden County District Attorney’s office launched a hotline to make it easier for victims of clergy sex abuse to report, calls are coming in.
D.A. Anthony Gulluni said that he can’t elaborate on just how many calls they have been receiving since announcing the hotline on Tuesday, but that they are coming in and, as promised, are being handled by troopers with the state police.
Gulluni told Western Mass News that the hotline is operating indefinitely and for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He wants to encourage everyone to continue to use it.
The reason it was launched was because of recent disclosures by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.
There is a statue of limitation of 20 years of when the crime was allegedly committed, but Gulluni said that there is a nuance when it comes to these cases.
“We still have the capacity to work with vicitms, provide them with services, point them in right direction in terms of counseling and all the resources that might be there. Certainly, collaboratively with the diocese in making sure the victims are dealt with appropriately and given their opportunity to certainly be heard and respected,” Gulluni explained.
Gullini said that they have a responsibility to victims of all kinds, so although there is a focus on clergy sex abuse with this hotline, anyone can use it.
Meanwhile, Diocese spokesperson Mark Dupont said that they support this effort by the D.A.’s office, but “would advocate that it beJust days after the Hampden County District Attorney’s office launched a hotline to make it easier for victims of clergy sex abuse to report, calls are coming in.
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