SPOILER ALERT!
Clergy Sexual Assault – Information
Church Sexual Abuse comprises a range of illegal and improper acts commonly commited on young children and teens by predatory priests or other church employees involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault might be a one-off, non-consensual scroll barevent or it may include several acts inside an ongoing interaction. For instance, an ongoing “trusting” interaction with a child spawned by the predatory behavior of a clergy associate, blanketed with the trust and reverence imputed to a priest, leading to non-consensual sexual attack acts of molestation.
Within nearly all claimed Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse situations, the short-coming by the Clergy member’s superior to entirely, adequately and promptly report the crime to police and other authorities, or the further failure to investigate, address and deal entirely with the occurrence increases the harm on the assault survivor, the community and potentially others. Recent Priest Sexual Abuse cases covered in the press highlight these failures, which includes “pass-the-trash” situations when the predator frequently a clergy in the Catholic Church, is silently re-assigned from one location to another merely to continue his predatory, criminal behavior on an unaware parish community.
Priest and Clergy Sexual Abuse and Justice
Not a week passes without a news announcement coverage about sexual abuse and molestation of children by predator priests, or the effects of the assault on the survivors and their families. If you are a victim of sexual assault from a priest or other clergy member, these reports are most likely to act as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, embarrassment, guilt and various unwanted thoughts staining your well-being. Encouraged by the social movement and other channels that encourage survivors to reveal the abuse they experienced, victims of abuse are increasingly turning to the legal system to compensate them for the life-long damage and injury they have suffered.
If you are a victim of assault commited by a priest, the result of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system may be immeasurable. Nonetheless, holding the responsible person and institutions to blame for their crimes and indifference can provide a measure of justice and recompense to abuse victims. Frequently, victims can leverage their legal rights in confidential mediation thereby avoiding the need for litigation. But, if litigation is necessary, a motion may be filed where the plaintiff can remain anonymous.
Predatory Behavior
All abusers, to varying degrees, use predatory tricks which are generally known as grooming, tracking a potential abuse victim. Below is a survey 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 religious setting, the priest is held as God’s representative. Within this environment, the predator often works closely with small numbers of children, identifying each child’s needs, weaknesses and circumstances. Once a victim is identified, these vulnerabilities – such as violent family setting, isolation, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – can be systematically leveraged in the following ways:
Trust
An assaulter will initially work to get the child’s trust. This step is most difficult to notice as religious communities are frequently tight-knit and personal relation with clergy is commonplace. Here, the assaulter can feign genuine interest in the child’s wellness and development – both emotional and religious.
Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential child-victim 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 child may 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 presents from the priest, including valuable, intangible gifts like blessings and special recognition.
connecticut priest abuse
As the grooming continues, the predator might work to isolate the possible victim. This could result in individual counseling meetings, meals or various forms of one-on-one isolated encounters.
Sexualization
The predator may begin to de-sensitize the child from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other 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 gets to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is established, the predator will try to maintain control over the child and the continued interaction. The priest will likely seek to manipulate the victim by continuing to make the victim feel special and worthy. The predator will keep exploiting the target by whatever methods necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors
The effect of childhood assault on the survivor can be severe and life-changing. Many clergy 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 difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups can assist survivors overcome these effects.
Legally, a survivor of Clergy Sexual Abuse may recover financial compensation from the abuser and, more frequently, from the church for its failure to protect the victim from the assault, as well as failures or deficiencies in its process of reviewing and resolving to reports of abuse. If you are a survivor 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.
Within nearly all claimed Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse situations, the short-coming by the Clergy member’s superior to entirely, adequately and promptly report the crime to police and other authorities, or the further failure to investigate, address and deal entirely with the occurrence increases the harm on the assault survivor, the community and potentially others. Recent Priest Sexual Abuse cases covered in the press highlight these failures, which includes “pass-the-trash” situations when the predator frequently a clergy in the Catholic Church, is silently re-assigned from one location to another merely to continue his predatory, criminal behavior on an unaware parish community.
Priest and Clergy Sexual Abuse and Justice
Not a week passes without a news announcement coverage about sexual abuse and molestation of children by predator priests, or the effects of the assault on the survivors and their families. If you are a victim of sexual assault from a priest or other clergy member, these reports are most likely to act as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, embarrassment, guilt and various unwanted thoughts staining your well-being. Encouraged by the social movement and other channels that encourage survivors to reveal the abuse they experienced, victims of abuse are increasingly turning to the legal system to compensate them for the life-long damage and injury they have suffered.
If you are a victim of assault commited by a priest, the result of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system may be immeasurable. Nonetheless, holding the responsible person and institutions to blame for their crimes and indifference can provide a measure of justice and recompense to abuse victims. Frequently, victims can leverage their legal rights in confidential mediation thereby avoiding the need for litigation. But, if litigation is necessary, a motion may be filed where the plaintiff can remain anonymous.
Predatory Behavior
All abusers, to varying degrees, use predatory tricks which are generally known as grooming, tracking a potential abuse victim. Below is a survey 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 religious setting, the priest is held as God’s representative. Within this environment, the predator often works closely with small numbers of children, identifying each child’s needs, weaknesses and circumstances. Once a victim is identified, these vulnerabilities – such as violent family setting, isolation, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – can be systematically leveraged in the following ways:
Trust
An assaulter will initially work to get the child’s trust. This step is most difficult to notice as religious communities are frequently tight-knit and personal relation with clergy is commonplace. Here, the assaulter can feign genuine interest in the child’s wellness and development – both emotional and religious.
Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential child-victim 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 child may 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 presents from the priest, including valuable, intangible gifts like blessings and special recognition.
connecticut priest abuse
As the grooming continues, the predator might work to isolate the possible victim. This could result in individual counseling meetings, meals or various forms of one-on-one isolated encounters.
Sexualization
The predator may begin to de-sensitize the child from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other 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 gets to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is established, the predator will try to maintain control over the child and the continued interaction. The priest will likely seek to manipulate the victim by continuing to make the victim feel special and worthy. The predator will keep exploiting the target by whatever methods necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors
The effect of childhood assault on the survivor can be severe and life-changing. Many clergy 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 difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups can assist survivors overcome these effects.
Legally, a survivor of Clergy Sexual Abuse may recover financial compensation from the abuser and, more frequently, from the church for its failure to protect the victim from the assault, as well as failures or deficiencies in its process of reviewing and resolving to reports of abuse. If you are a survivor 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.
