PWOJE ESPWA - OFFICIAL COMPLAINT OF INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONTACT WITH A CHILD

May 13, 2011

Bill Commer
Chairman of the Board
Free the Kids/Pwoje Espwa
Les Cayes, Haiti

Bill,

Please accept this letter as a formal complaint of inappropriate sexual contact with a minor by Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell, FSD, a current employee of Pwoje Espwa in Les Cayes, Haiti.

Although I made this information known to you two days ago, neither you, Executive Director, Father Marc Boisvert, nor any of your board members has contacted me for a clarification and further explanation of my concerns (two of your board members, one a lawyer, the other a pediatrician, reside right here in Maine).

As your first order of business, please make Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell's and Father Marc Boisvert's religious superiors aware of my complaint.

Father Boisvert's superiors are located In the United States. In 2002, the U.S. Bishops Conference implemented the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People for instruction and guidance as to what to do in matters like this.

What is your agency's protocol for handling sexual misconduct complaints? I am certain this is covered in your "child protection manual."

It's interesting, Bill, as to how this all developed in such a short time.

All I initially wanted was a copy of your child protection manual. When too much time went by, I asked again. This time I felt pushed back. I then wrote to Father Boisvert, who pushed back even further with his passive aggressive behavior. I then took a closer look at the organization and came across Brother Campbell's disturbing references in his blog.

I suspect you will say, "Hey Paul, this is Haiti. Things are different here. In Haiti, it's ok for a Catholic priest or brother (both adult men) to befriend one of the students in a loving way that makes (grooms) this particular child feel special and different."

You may say, "Hey Paul, it's ok in Haiti for a Catholic priest or brother to wash a child's bare back, shampoo his hair and help him into a new pair of shorts."

Or, Paul, "Don't you know that grown-up Catholic men who are priests and brothers in Haiti always wash and scrub a naked child's body in the shower 'from head to toe' and then shampoo the child's hair (as Brother Campbell did to 11 year old Phillipe)?"

If anyone reading this has a teenager or 11 year old son, I want you to think about what you would say and do if you came home early and discovered your houseguest, Brother Campbell, rubbing soap and shampoo with his hands all over your child's naked, wet body in the bathroom shower at your home.

What would you do? What would you say?

Now, pause and think again about Brother Campbell's hands being on your child.

What's not right for a child in the U.S. is not right for a child in Haiti.

You need to take immediate action.

Sincerely,

Paul Kendrick
Freeport, ME
207 838 1319