Child sexual abuse can happen within religious and faith organisations. Faith communities play a vital role in making sure that the environment and those within it are as safe as possible for children. We need to ensure that steps are taken to prevent child sexual abuse before it happens.
What can faith communities do to prevent child sexual abuse?
Child Protection in Faith Communities
Churches and faith-based groups play an important role in the lives of many children, young people, and adults.
People who contribute to the life of faith-based communities and places of worship have a role to play in keeping people safe. They also play a vital role in responding effectively and compassionately when someone comes forward to share concerns or disclose abuse.
Nurturing, respecting, and caring for children are part of the teachings and values of all major faiths.
There is a general expectation to care for all life and a duty to support those in society who most need care and protection. Recognising the shared aim to provide a safe environment for children can help bring child sexual abuse prevention into faith practices.
Challenges and barriers
When looking at challenges and barriers to safeguarding in faith-based communities, common themes include:
- The trust people have in religious leaders, which both creates opportunities for abuse, and makes it less likely that victims will be believed if they accuse a religious community leader
- The difficulty people have in thinking that someone of their faith would abuse another member of that same faith, tied with the desire not to damage the reputation of the faith group by exposing such individuals
- An attitude of welcome and inclusion, which makes religious communities susceptible to people who wish to enter them to abuse. This can be tied up with issues of forgiveness and second chances
- Blurred boundaries between adults and children, for example, on pilgrimages and other trips
- Reliance, especially at the level of individual congregations, on volunteers to handle safeguarding issues; volunteers who will have varying degrees of knowledge and confidence, and who can easily walk away if not properly supported
- A concern for organisational reputation, stemming at least in part from the status of religious groups as morally good organisations. This status is threatened by abuse within the organisation, and appears to be a consideration in the repeated covering up of potential scandals in many faith groups.
- Community organisations/charities, faith groups – especially smaller ones – may have limited resources to devote to safeguarding
- Many lack a culture of safe recruitment, supervision, human resources, and other management structures, which can lead to accountability and transparency
- Tension between religious laws and customs and statutory requirements