Religious organisations and communities are frequent targets of abusers.
Religious institutions are often well-placed and strongly motivated to cover up incidents of sexual and physical abuse.
We work to hold these organisations to account and get justice for abuse victims and survivors.
Many religious organisations enjoy a close relationship with the establishment and tend to see themselves as above the law. This can increase the risk of abuse, prevent perpetrators from facing justice, and impede efforts to support and compensate victims and survivors of abuse.
Those intent on abuse are often attracted to religious institutions. Such organisations give access to, and sometimes extreme control over, numerous children and vulnerable adults.
When abuse does occur, religious organisations often act to protect the reputation of the institution above the rights of the victim. They may pressure the victim to stay silent and move the perpetrator to somewhere unaware of their reputation.
Many religious institutions also have influence and connections that enable them to evade justice and scrutiny, often for decades.
All forms of abuse, be they sexual, physical or psychological, can cause serious harm. Victims of abuse in religious settings have suffered physical and mental health problems, including addiction, self-harm and suicide.
Abuse can take place in any religious setting. That's why we work at the national and international level to hold religious organisations to account for safeguarding failings, and to ensure victims and survivors can get justice.
Take action!
1. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
2. Write to your MP
Ask your MP to support our work to end abuse in religion settings
3. Join the National Secular Society
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
UN tells Chile to examine clerical child abuse following NSS report
Posted: Wed, 22 Jun 2022 15:57
A United Nations committee has called on Chile to investigate all cases of child abuse in the Catholic Church following an intervention from the National Secular Society.
In its concluding observations on child rights in Chile, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has urged Chile to establish "an independent, impartial, adequately funded truth commission to examine all cases of abuse of children in institutional settings, including within the Catholic church".
In April the NSS called on the UNCRC to recommend an official inquiry into institutional responses to child abuse, as part of the committee's upcoming review of each state party's record on children's rights.
The NSS said Chile had not responded to the UNCRC's request, prompted by an earlier NSS submission, for more information on developing strategies for preventing sexual abuse of children, including within the Catholic Church.
The names of around 360 people involved with the Church accused of child abuse have been recorded by an abuse survivors' network, and 33 religious orders are implicated.
The NSS said Catholic clerics appeared to enjoy "near impunity" from criminal law regarding abuse allegations, an endemic problem in South America.
NSS comment
NSS president Keith Porteous Wood said: "This is a welcome statement from the committee.
"The specific reference to the Catholic Church is encouraging because it is almost certainly the worst perpetrator of institutional child abuse in Chile. We are optimistic of the UNCRC's recommendation bearing fruit as Chile has a radical young new president and we have asked campaigners in Chile to follow this up politically.
"For over a decade, the NSS has submitted concerns about clerical abuse of minors in numerous countries around the world when they are being reviewed every five years by the UNCRC. The committee has increasingly taken our concerns on board. We continue to encourage the committee to hold states around the world to account where powerful religious institutions are guilty of enabling abuse."
Image: Catholic church in Chile, saramatos from Pixabay (cropped)
UN “concerned” about role of Catholic Church in Polish schools
Posted: Fri, 22 Apr 2022 15:34
A United Nations committee has echoed many concerns raised by the National Secular Society relating to the Catholic Church and child rights in Poland.
In its latest periodic report on Poland, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child included recommendations relating to education, LGBT+ rights and clerical abuse which the NSS proposed in its submission to the committee in 2020.
The committee is responsible for monitoring compliance with UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) among state parties.
In its 2020 submission, the NSS told the committee that although the law requires schools to provide classes in both ethics and religion, a large proportion of schools only provide religion classes. These classes are invariably Catholic confessional classes and are routinely presented as compulsory by schools, the NSS said.
In response, the committee said it was "concerned" about the role the Catholic Church plays in public education. It recommended ethics classes be available in all schools as an alternative to religion classes, and that the secular public school system "promote a culture of equality and inclusion".
LGBT+ rights and RSE
The NSS reported on the problem of discrimination and harassment of LGBT+ pupils in Poland, recommending training to address anti-LGBT bullying.
The committee agreed with the recommendation and said homophobic behaviour should be addressed "in particular in the context of religion classes".
The NSS also highlighted Poland's public discrimination and hate speech against LGBT+ people, including the establishment of 'LGBT-free zones', meant LGBT+ rights, women's reproductive rights and comprehensive relationships and sex education (RSE) are cast as a "sinister, co-ordinated threat to traditional values".
It said RSE should be provided for by law and be "relevant" and "based on science and human rights standards".
The committee agreed, recommending all adolescents "have access to comprehensive, age-appropriate, science based and gender stereotype-free education" on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church
The NSS highlighted evidence that the scale of clerical child sexual abuse in Poland is substantial and prosecutors are expected to treat the church with deference.
It said the concordat between Poland and the Holy See appeared to "compromise the effective administration of justice" and impeded Poland's ability to conform to the CRC. It recommended Poland make "greater efforts" to secure secular justice for victims and survivors.
The committee said it "remains concerned" about limited information on the investigation, prosecution and sanction of cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy. It said Poland should continue its efforts to ensure all child sex abuse cases are reported, investigated and prosecuted, including those perpetrated by members of the Catholic Church.
It also recommended collecting data relating to sexual abuse involving Catholic clergy.
NSS comment
NSS president Keith Porteous Wood welcomed the committee's recommendations.
He said: "It is very encouraging to see the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child echoing so many of our concerns and directly addressing the role of the Catholic Church in violations of children's rights.
"The committee must now do all it can to ensure Poland adequately responds to these concerns, without letting deference to the Church undermine its efforts."
