First, it was the Catholic Church. Then Penn State. Now, a new child-abuse scandal in Hollywood is raising questions over the safety of minors in the entertainment business and sparking calls for new child-labor regulations.
Last week, Martin Weiss, a longtime manager of young talent, was arrested on suspicion of child molestation after an 18-year-old former client told police he had been abused by Weiss 30 to 40 times from 2005 to 2008.
Weiss' arrest came just weeks after it was discovered that a convicted child molester and registered sex offender under the name Jason James Murphy was working in Hollywood and helping cast children for movie roles.
Also read: Martin Weiss, Alleged Child Molester, Was 'A Party Clown'
TheWrap contacted a wide array of industry professionals, and encountered a mix of surprise and concern about the latest investigations. Some pointed to years of child molestation allegations from young stars including Corey Haim (right) and Todd Bridges.
Another camp maintains that sexual abuse of children is rare in the entertainment industry.
"This is news, which means it doesn't happen all the time," said an agent for a talent agency that specializes in child actors who requested anonymity. "I don't think it's the 50-percent-plus-one norm. I haven't been aware of any other incidents like this."
Others, however -- including child-abuse experts -- said they were not surprised.
"This problem is more pervasive than people want to believe," said Paula Dorn, co-founder of the BizParentz Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the families of children working in the entertainment industry. "We have children trying to interact in an adult world."
Weiss' arrest "was not a shock at all" to lawyer Gloria Allred, who has negotiated settlements involving child abuse in the movie and TV business.
"A lot of people in the entertainment industry -- like a manager or an agent -- people who are not in a position of power look up to them," Allred told TheWrap. "Children are extremely vulnerable, and they can mistake attention for a person who likes them and cares about them. And then the grooming takes place."
Paul Petersen, a former child actor on "The Donna Reed Show" and founder of A Minor Consideration, a nonprofit that supports former child star, said the situation is "worse today than it was in the '30s, and there was a lot of dirty stuff going on then."
Petersen (left) told TheWrap that his group is pushing for new regulations, including background checks and fingerprinting for talent agents, and a stronger enforcement of the California Talent Agencies Act, which is intended to protect artists from contract exploitation.
"We want to have the same protections internationally for children that are enjoyed by animals in the entertainment industry," he told TheWrap. "When a movie says, 'No animals were harmed during the making of this film,' how can we not have that for kids?"
Petersen's organization has reason to be hopeful.
