Clergy Sexual Abuse encompasses a range of illegal and heinous behaviors commonly perpetrated against children and teens by pedophilic clergy or other church employees involving sexual assault of varying amounts. The sexual assault might be a single, non-consensual scroll barencounter or it may include numerous assaults inside a continuing interaction. For instance, a continuing “trusting” interaction with a young child created by the predatory behavior of a clergy member, cloaked with the trust and reverence imputed to a member of the clergy, leading to non-consensual sexual abuse acts of molestation.
Within nearly all claimed Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse scenarios, the short-coming by the Church member’s employer to completely, adequately and promptly report the crime to police and other authorities, or its continuing failure to research, address and deal fully with the occurrence amplifies the effects on the assault survivor, the community and potentially others. Current Church Sexual Assault cases covered in the press highlight these short-comings, that includes “pass-the-trash” situations where the abuser frequently a clergy in the Catholic Church, is suddenly moved from one church to another only to continue his predatory, criminal action on an unaware parish community.
Priest and Clergy Sexual Abuse & Justice Not a day passes without a media headline coverage about sexual assault and molestation of young children by pedophile priests, or the aftermath of the abuse on the victims and their families. If you are a victim of sexual assault from a priest or other church member, these articles are most likely to act as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, shame, guilt and various unwanted feelings hurting your well-being. Encouraged by the social movement and other channels that encourage victims to reveal the assault they experienced, survivors of abuse are more frequently turning to the legal system to compensate them for the life-long harm and injury they have experienced.
If you are a victim of abuse perpetrated by a priest, the result of the abuse on your life and core belief system may be incalculable. Nonetheless, holding church lawsuitCalifornia and institutions to blame for their crimes and indifference may provide an amount of justice and recompense to assault survivors. Frequently, victims can leverage their legal rights in confidential mediation therein avoiding the need for litigation. However, if litigation is required, a motion can be filed where the plaintiff can remain anonymous.
Predatory Behavior All predators, to varying amounts, employ predatory tricks which are generally referred to as grooming, tracking a potential assault victim. Below is a list of grooming behaviors used by predators who are in a job of authority in relation to the subordinate child.
Grooming Grooming is a significant part of a predator’s strategy. In a church setting, the priest is revered as God’s representative. Within this setting, the predator frequently works closely with small numbers of children, identifying each child’s needs, weaknesses and circumstances. Once a victim is located, these vulnerabilities – like violent family setting, isolation, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – might be systematically leveraged in the following ways:
Trust An assaulter will initially work to get the child’s trust. This strategy is most difficult to notice as church communities are frequently tight-knit and personal relation with clergy is commonplace. Here, the priest can feign genuine interest in the child’s wellness and groeth – both emotional and religious.
Reliance As a predator creates a trusting relationship with the potential target and oftentimes their family members, the child will start to rely more and more on the predator for any need it is that the priest is exploiting and fulfilling. The victim will spend more time with the priest, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship and counting on its stability and security. In addition to attention and affection, the possible victim might receive gifts from the priest, including valuable, intangible presents such as blessings and special recognition. Isolation As the grooming progresses, the predator may work to isolate the potential target. This could result in solo counseling sessions, meals or other methods of one-on-one isolated encounters. Sexualization The predator might start to de-sensitize the child from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and various behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This could begin with crossing the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with inappropriate messages to gauge the victim’s reaction to the progression. This will escalate until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature. Maintenance Once the sexual relationship is created, the predator will work to keep control over the child and the continued interaction. The priest may likely seek to manipulate the child by continuing to make the target feel special and worthy. The predator will continue to exploit the target by whatever methods necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors
The effect of childhood assault on the victim can be severe and life-changing. Several priest assault survivors suffer from long-term effects of the assault including depression, disturbed sleeping, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and eating patterns, and problems establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups can assist victims overcome these effects.
Legally, a victim of Clergy Sexual Assault may recover financial compensation from the predator and, more frequently, from the church for its failure to protect the victim from the assault, as well as failures or deficiencies in its method of reviewing and responding to reports of abuse. If you are a survivor of Priest or Clergy Sexual Assault and would like to confidentially discuss your situation and your legal options, we are ready to talk with you.
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