The Evolution of Clergy Abuse and The 5 Best Ways To Get Help
Clergy abuse exposed by journalists led to the creation of abuse-prevention plans for minors. Though those who committed sexual abuse are punished, the victims of these crimes have to deal with the mental consequences of their abuser’s actions for the rest of their lives.
How did clergy sex abuse go unnoticed for so long, and how has it evolved over the years? This guide will help you understand what contributed to this dark stain on history and how to help victims get a clergy abuse attorney.
A Brief History of Clergy Abuse
The 2000s brought a storm of clergy sex abuse exposure to the public’s eye. A think tank studied all 32 United States archdioceses and ran a sweeping investigation.
As a result, the Dallas Charter was formed. This church group vowed disclosure, training, and prevention of child sexual abuse in the Catholic church. However, the policies are not one-size-fits-all, and the specifics are up to the individual dioceses.
The system is still broken. Many dioceses do not require a sex offender background check on potential employees, which is counterintuitive to what is at stake.
The victims of these events live with this trauma every single day. Learn how to encourage your loved ones to seek legal and emotional help.
- Listen
If someone has confided in you about how they suffered from abuse, the best support you can offer is your ear. It’s up to the individual if they want to seek legal or emotional help. Sometimes the pain is overwhelming, and it can take time to break down barriers.
PTSD, depression, and suicidal thoughts are common in sexual abuse survivors. The victims can have a confusing relationship with religion, with some still embracing their spiritual side and others completely denouncing all religious practice.
- Seek a Therapist
If your loved one has expressed assistance getting a therapist, you can help them find the right one. A licensed therapist has a unique toolset when it comes to offering emotional support. Though you’re a trusted confidant, having a third party available for your loved one to work through the abuse can be a transformative experience.
- Find A Clergy Abuse Attorney
The church has a long history of silencing clergy sex abuse victims. In recent years, law firms have emerged to battle this unjust fact. Read this history to get a better understanding of the current legal climate for clergy abuse victims.
If your loved one wants to seek justice and get compensation for the crimes committed against them, this is a positive step. Exposing an abuser ensures that they can’t hurt anyone else.
- Become An Activist
In the face of injustice, becoming an activist in preventing clergy sex abuse is a way to offer support and solidarity to your loved one. Active citizens, journalists, and clergy abuse lawyers who care are why the church is held accountable for their actions.
- Help Them to Tell Their Story
For so many years, clergy abuse was swept under the rug because it’s scary to speak up against a trusted member of the church community. When one person tells their story, others get brave enough to do the same.
Abusers thrive in silence. If your loved one is comfortable sharing their story, you can help them help others.
Stand Up for What’s Right
We hope this article has given you a toolset for helping you understand your loved one’s pain. Seeking legal help is a good way to get justice and protect others. Clergy abuse is a reminder of how we must protect our minors.
Read our blog for more legal help! It can be terrifying to stand up to injustice, but with a lawyer at your side, we can uphold our values and prevent misconduct and abuse.
