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Clergy Assault – Overview

Phillis Heinig (2019-08-23)

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Priest Abuse comprises a wide-range of immoral and improper actions commonly perpetrated on children and adolescents by pedophilic priests or other church employees involving sexual assault of varying amounts. The abuse can be a one-off, non-consensual scroll barevent or it might involve many assaults inside a continuing interaction. For instance, an ongoing "trusting" relationship with a young child spawned by the predatory behavior of a church member, cloaked by the trust and reverence imputed to a priest, leading to non-consensual sexual abuse 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 further failure to research, address and resolve entirely with the occurrence increases the effects on the abuse survivor, the community and possibly others. Recent Priest Sexual Abuse cases covered in the media highlight these short-comings, that includes "pass-the-trash" scenarios when the perpetrator frequently a priest in the Catholic Church, is secretly moved from one location to another only to continue his predatory, criminal behavior on an unaware parish community.

Priest and Clergy Sexual Assault and Justice
Not a week passes without a media headline coverage about sexual assault and molestation of young children by predator priests, or the legacy 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 likely to serve as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, embarrassment, guilt and various unwanted feelings staining your wellness. Encouraged by the social movement and other pathways that encourage them to reveal the abuse they experienced, victims of abuse are increasingly employing the legal system to compensate them for the lifetime harm and injury they have experienced.

If you are a victim of abuse perpetrated by a member of the church, the impact of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system can be immeasurable. Nonetheless, holding the responsible church and institutions to blame for their crimes and failures can provide a measure of justice and recompense to abuse victims. Oftentimes, survivors can assert their legal rights in confidential mediation therein avoiding the need for litigation. However, if litigation is required, a case may be filed where the victim can remain anonymous.

Abusive Behavior

All abusers, to varying amounts, employ predatory tactics that are commonly referred to as grooming, tracking a potential assault victim. Following is a list of grooming behaviors used by predators who are in a position of authority relative to the subordinate young 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 often works closely with small amounts of children, identifying each child’s needs, weaknesses and circumstances. Once a target is identified, these vulnerabilities – such as tumultuous family setting, isolation, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – may be systematically exploited in the following ways:

Trust

An assaulter will initially work to get the child’s trust. This strategy is most difficult to discern as church communities are often tight-knit and personal relation with clergy is commonplace. Here, the priest can feign genuine concern in the child’s wellbeing and development – both emotional and religious.

Reliance

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 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 possible victim may receive presents from the predator, including valuable, intangible presents such as blessings and special recognition.
Isolation

As the grooming escalates, the predator might work to isolate the possible target. This could mean solo counseling sessions, meals or other forms of one-on-one isolated encounters.

Sexualization

The predator will start to de-sensitize the target from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions that lead to sexual interaction. This might begin with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to determine the victim’s response to the progression. This will escalate until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.

Maintenance

As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will work to maintain control over the child and the continuing interaction. The predator may likely want to manipulate the child by continuing to make the target feel special and worthy. The predator will keep exploiting the target by whatever means necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.

Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors

The impact of childhood abuse on the victim can be overwhelming and life-altering. Several priest abuse survivors suffer from lifelong effects of the assault including depression, disturbed sleeping, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and eating patterns, and difficulty creating and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups can assist survivors overcome these effects.

Legally, a victim of Clergy Sexual Abuse may gain financial compensation from the abuser and, more frequently, from the religious organization 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 abuse. If you are a victim of priest lawsuit New York; https://www.meneolawgroup.com, 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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ISSN: 19915837