The Archbishop of Hagåtña (Guam), has received the territory’s Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence’s Visionary Voice Award.
Since the legislation was enacted on Guam to abolish the statutes of limitation in September 2016, 140 victims have filed lawsuits against the Archdiocese.
Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese Hagåtña in October 2016, Archbishop Byrnes faced the daunting task of promoting healing among Guam’s Catholics.
The citation for the award notes that Byrnes has:
- Facilitated a review of and updates to the Archdiocese’s policies on protecting young people
- Initiated training of church workers and volunteers
- Revived an independent review board on the investigation of alleged clergy abuses.
In brief remarks after receiving the award, the archbishop gave credit to others in the Church, including the many people who are part of the archdiocese’s online and live training on the protection of children.
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center(NSVRC) offers the Visionary Voice Award in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month each April.
The award recognises the creativity and hard work of individuals in the United States and its territories who have demonstrated outstanding work to end sexual violence.
Each year, state, territory, and tribal coalitions select an outstanding individual to nominate for the awards.
Nominees may be partners from a local community or other outstanding individuals who have worked to end sexual violence.
The Archdiocese of Hagåtña has now formed a partnership with the government, military and private sectors on Guam to observe April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
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