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Church Sexual Assault – Information

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Kirkland Garner
Priest Abuse includes a wide-range of immoral and heinous actions commonly commited against kids and tweens by predatory clergy or other church members involving sexual abuse of varying degrees. The abuse may be a one-time, non-consensual scroll barevent or it can involve numerous assaults within a continuing interaction. For example, an ongoing “trusting” relationship with a young child created by the predatory behavior of a church associate, cloaked with the trust and reverence imputed to a member of the clergy, leading to non-consensual sexual attack acts of molestation.

Within nearly all alleged Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse scenarios, the failure by the Church member’s employer to entirely, adequately and promptly disclose the crime to police and other authorities, or the continuing failure to investigate, contend with and resolve entirely with the occurrence increases the harm on the abuse survivor, the community and potentially others. Current Church Sexual Assault cases reported in the media highlight these failures, including “pass-the-trash” situations when the perpetrator commonly a priest in the Catholic Church, is silently re-assigned from one location to another merely to continue his predatory, criminal behavior on an innocent parish community.

Priest and Clergy Sexual Assault and Retribution
Not a day passes without a news headline reporting regarding sexual abuse and molestation of young children by predator clergy, or the legacy of the abuse on the survivors and their families. If you are a victim of sexual abuse 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 staining your wellness. Encouraged by the social movement and other pathways that encourage them to reveal the assault they suffered, survivors of assault are more frequently turning to the legal system to compensate them for the life-long damage and injury they have experienced.

If you are a survivor of assault commited by a member of the church, the result of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system might be immeasurable. Nonetheless, holding the responsible clergy and institutions accountable for their crimes and failures can offer a measure of justice and recompense to assault survivors. Oftentimes, victims can assert their legal rights in confidential mediation therein avoiding the need for litigation. But, if litigation is necessary, a motion might be filed where the victim can remain anonymous.

Predatory Behavior
All predators, to varying degrees, use predatory tactics that are generally referred to as grooming, targeting a potential abuse victim. Below is a survey of grooming actions used by predators who are in a job of authority in relation to the subordinate child.

Grooming
Grooming is a major part of a predator’s strategy. In a church setting, the clergy member is revered as God’s representative. Within this setting, the predator frequently works closely with small amounts of children, understanding each child’s needs, vulnerabilities and situations. Once a target is located, these vulnerabilities – like tumultuous family setting, loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – might be systematically exploited in the following ways:

Trust
An assaulter will first work to gain the child’s trust. This step is most difficult to notice as religious communities are often tight-knit and personal interaction with clergy is commonplace. Here, the assaulter can pretend genuine interest in the child’s wellness and development – both emotional and religious.

Reliance
As a predator creates 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 priest is exploiting and fulfilling. The child will devote more time with the predator, feeling more comfortable with the relationship and relying on its stability and security. In addition to attention and affection, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, including valuable, intangible gifts such as blessings and special recognition.
Isolation
As the grooming continues, the predator may try to isolate the potential target. This may mean single counseling meetings, meals or various forms of one-on-one isolated moments.
Sexualization
The predator might begin to de-sensitize the child from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and various actions that lead to sexual interaction. This could begin with crossing the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s response to the progression. connecticut clergy abuse until the relationship gets to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is established, the predator will work to maintain control of the child and the continued interaction. The predator will likely seek to manipulate the victim by continuing to make the target feel special and worthy. The predator will continue to exploit the target by whatever ways necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.

Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors

The impact of childhood abuse on the survivor can be overwhelming and life-altering. Many priest abuse survivors suffer from long-term 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 keeping healthy relationships. Individualized treatment and support groups can help victims overcome these effects.

Legally, a victim of Clergy Sexual Abuse may recover financial compensation from the abuser and, more frequently, from the religious organization for its failure to shield 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 situation and your legal options, we are ready to talk with you.
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