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
Canada and Chile failing on clerical child abuse, NSS tells UN
Posted: Wed, 20 Apr 2022 14:12
The National Secular Society has raised concerns about clerical child abuse in Canada and Chile with the United Nations.
The NSS has submitted reports to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as part of the committee's upcoming review of each state party's record on children's rights.
Each report focused on child abuse within institutions run by the Catholic Church, which has been the subject of sustained media attention in Canada and Chile.
The NSS has engaged with the UNCRC on clerical child abuse for the past 15 years.
Canada
The NSS said that past Canadian governments have been reluctant to adequately address child abuse within the Catholic Church.
A 2010 poll found at least two million adult Canadians personally knew someone who was sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest.
The NSS said the Church has continually attempted to evade financial responsibility for reparations to victims. It drew attention to evidence that the justice system had favoured the Catholic Church to the detriment of abuse victims.
This included a supreme court settlement which relieved the Catholic Church of financial responsibility for child abuse and decades-long delays in court actions resulting in victims dying without receiving compensation. It also cited Royal Commission findings that government officials and police had conspired to prevent Catholic-associated clerics suspected of abuse from being prosecuted.
The NSS additionally highlighted the "cultural genocide" at residential schools, which indigenous children were forced to attend deliberately beyond reach of their families. Seventy per cent of the schools were run by the Catholic Church.
It said over 4,100 children's deaths had been documented at residential schools, including from neglect, malnutrition and associated disease, abuse and deliberate infanticide. Estimates suggest thousands more died. Some grave markers have been removed by the Catholic Church which refuses to share records crucial to identify individual graves and how the children died.
Chile
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.
Recommendations
The NSS recommendations for both Canada and Chile included an official inquiry into institutional responses to child abuse, adoption of additional safeguarding requirements, and either the adoption of, or improvements to, mandatory reporting laws on child sexual abuse.
It said the Canadian government should "do all in its power" to require the release of records relating to deaths and disposal of bodies at residential schools, and that "all reasonable possibilities" for criminal and civil action for damages be pursued.
NSS comment
NSS president Keith Porteous Wood said: "Around the world, including in Canada and Chile, there has been an unhealthy culture of acceptance of clerical child sexual abuse, and in some cases of deference to religious bodies.
"What's more, religious institutions routinely fail to report suspected child sexual abuse to secular authorities, even when the law requires it and the UN urges the Vatican to do it, while doing everything in their power to avoid payments of restitution to victims.
"We ask the UNCRC to take whatever steps necessary to ensure Canada and Chile fulfil their duty to protecting the rights of all children, including those in religious communities, and secure justice for all victims and survivors of clerical child abuse."
Image: konferenzadhs from Pixabay
UN committee: Polish schools should promote “equality and inclusion”
Posted: Wed, 6 Oct 2021 09:31
A UN committee has expressed concern about the Catholic Church's impact on children's rights in Poland following a National Secular Society intervention.
In a report published last week, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) highlighted the role of religion in discrimination, abuse and homophobia in Poland.
In a written submission and oral intervention to the CRC last year, the NSS urged the UN to put pressure on Poland to reform religious education, give LGBT+ children better protection, and hold the Catholic Church to account for its shortcomings on safeguarding.
Education
Poland's schools must provide extra-curricular classes in both ethics and religion. However, in practice a large proportion of schools do not provide ethics classes, and religion classes are routinely presented as compulsory by schools. Religion classes usually consist of confessional Catholic catechism.
The NSS called for religion and ethics classes to be made available in all schools, so all pupils have the option of taking ethics as an alternative to religion classes.
The CRC said it was "concerned" about the role the Catholic Church plays in public education, and that ethics classes are not available in all schools. It recommended Poland "respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion in education", which implies "the secular public school system promotes a culture of equality and inclusion".
The CRC also recommended Poland address homophobic behaviour from students and teachers "in the context of religion classes".
Abuse in religious settings
The NSS's submission highlighted evidence that the scale of clerical child sexual abuse in Poland is substantial. It said prosecutors are expected to treat the church with deference due to the concordat with the Vatican, which requires conformity with the Catholic Church's canon 'law'.
The CRC urged Poland to ensure all cases of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church are "reported, investigated and prosecuted".
It also urged the state to collect disaggregated data relating to child abuse involving Catholic clergy and provide detailed information on reports of such abuse.
Anti-LGBT discrimination
The NSS said Poland should take steps to tackle the discrimination and persecution faced by LGBT+ children, including by introducing inclusive relationships and sex education. It also highlighted the problem of homophobic bullying in Polish schools.
The CRC recommended Poland include LGBT+ issues in compulsory sex education classes and train health professionals to support LGBT+ children.
It also recommended the country undertake "awareness raising and education" on the issues of discrimination against LGBT+ children.
NSS comment
NSS president Keith Porteous Wood said: "We are gratified by the extent to which the Committee took on board our suggestions. We can only hope that such concerns expressed by the Committee and the EU will be heeded.
"Pressure is mounting on the Polish Government to review its heavily pro-Catholic stance as the hitherto unwavering support for the Church is diminishing rapidly, especially in urban areas and in no small part a reaction to the scale of clerical abuse uncovered in recent years."
Notes:
- The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the body of 18 Independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its State parties.
- The above findings, officially named Concluding Observations, are available here.
