Priest Sexual Abuse includes a range of illegal and improper acts often perpetrated on young children and adolescents by pedophilic clergy or other church members involving sexual abuse of varying amounts. The sexual assault may be a one-off, non-consensual scroll barencounter or it might involve several acts within a continuing interaction. For instance, an ongoing “trusting” relationship with a young child spawned by the predatory behavior of a clergy associate, cloaked by the trust and respect imputed to a member of the clergy, leading to non-consensual sexual abuse acts of molestation.
Within most claimed Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse scenarios, the failure by the Clergy member’s employer to fully, adequately and immediately report the offense to law enforcement and other authorities, or the continuing failure to research, handle and deal entirely with the occurrence increases the harm on the assault survivor, the community and possibly others. Current Clergy Sexual Assault cases reported in the media highlight these failures, that includes “pass-the-trash” situations when the perpetrator oftentimes a priest in the Catholic Church, is quietly transferred from one parish to another only to continue his predatory, criminal action on an innocent parish community.
Priest and Clergy Sexual Abuse and Justice Not a week goes by without a news announcement reporting about sexual abuse and molestation of children by pedophile clergy, or the legacy of the assault on the victims and their families. If you are a survivor of sexual assault from a priest or other clergy member, these reports are likely to act as an echo chamber, replaying the horror, shame, guilt and various unwelcome thoughts hurting your well-being. Encouraged by the social movement and other pathways that encourage them to reveal the assault they experienced, survivors of assault are increasingly turning to the legal system to compensate them for the lifelong damage and injury they have suffered.
If you are a survivor of abuse commited by a member of the clergy, the impact of the abuse on your life and core belief system may be immeasurable. Nonetheless, holding the responsible church and institutions to blame for their crimes and indifference can offer an amount of justice and recompense to abuse victims. Oftentimes, survivors can leverage their legal rights in confidential mediation thereby avoiding the need for litigation. But, if litigation is necessary, a case can be filed where the victim can remain anonymous.
Predatory Behavior All abusers, to varying degrees, use predatory tactics which are generally known as grooming, targeting a potential abuse victim. Following is a survey of grooming behaviors exhibited by predators who are in a position of authority in relation to the subordinate child.
Grooming Grooming is a significant piece of a predator’s ploy. In a church setting, the priest is viewed as God’s representative. Within this setting, the predator often works closely with small numbers of children, understanding each child’s needs, vulnerabilities and situations. Once a target is located, these vulnerabilities – such as tumultuous family setting, loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – can be systematically exploited in the following ways:
Trust An assaulter will first work to get the child’s trust. This step is most difficult to discern as church communities are frequently tight-knit and personal relation with clergy is commonplace. Here, the priest can pretend genuine concern in the child’s wellbeing and development – both emotional and religious.
abused by priestVermont As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential victim and oftentimes their family members, the child will begin to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The victim will spend increased time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship and counting on its stability and security. In addition to attention and affection, the possible target might receive presents from the priest, including valuable, intangible gifts like blessings and special recognition. Isolation As the grooming progresses, the predator will try to isolate the possible victim. This might result in single counseling meetings, meals or various forms of one-on-one isolated moments. Sexualization The predator may start to de-sensitize the child from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions that lead to sexual interaction. This might begin with crossing the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with inappropriate messages to determine the victim’s reaction to the progression. This will continue until the relationship gets to one of a physical, sexual nature. Maintenance Once the sexual relationship is created, the predator will work to maintain control over the child and the continued interaction. The predator may likely seek to manipulate the victim by continuing to make the victim feel special and worthy. The predator will keep exploiting the victim by whatever ways needed to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors
The effect of childhood abuse on the victim can be overwhelming and life-changing. Several clergy assault survivors suffer from lifelong effects of the abuse including depression, disturbed sleeping, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Individualized treatment and support groups can assist victims overcome these effects.
Legally, a survivor of Clergy Sexual Abuse may gain financial compensation from the abuser and, more commonly, from the church for its failure to protect the victim from the abuse, as well as failures or deficiencies in its process of reviewing and resolving to reports of assault. If you are a victim of Priest or Clergy Sexual Assault and would like to confidentially discuss your experience and your legal options, we are ready to speak with you.
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