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
Prosecutor Nazir Afzal to address ‘blind spots’ in NSS lecture
Posted: Thu, 1 Jul 2021 09:09
The National Secular Society is delighted to announce that the distinguished prosecutor Nazir Afzal will deliver its annual Bradlaugh Lecture for 2021, in Manchester in September.
Afzal is the former chief prosecutor for the north west of England and was recently appointed as the head of the Catholic Church's safeguarding body in England and Wales.
His high-profile cases have included the prosecution of the relatives responsible for an 'honour killing' in 2005, and prosecutions in the case of the Rochdale sex trafficking gang.
His lecture, entitled 'Blind spots', will explore how turning a blind eye has led to criminality and allowed harmful cultural practices to continue with impunity.
The NSS plans to hold the lecture at Manchester Art Gallery, on Saturday 4 September at 2pm. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A and a drinks reception.
The Bradlaugh Lecture is an annual event which gives a distinguished speaker an opportunity to explore a topic of interest to secularists in depth.
During his lecture Afzal will address a range of topics relevant to his life and work.
These include his efforts to uphold the rights of women and girls by combatting forced marriage, female genital mutilation, honour-based violence and abuse.
He will explore how, and why, a reluctance to acknowledge harmful practices in some communities leads to injustice and a breakdown in social cohesion.
And he will consider how we promote tolerance, pluralism and understanding in an increasingly diverse society.
NSS comment
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "We're delighted that Nazir Afzal has agreed to deliver our Bradlaugh Lecture – it promises to be a fascinating event.
"We look forward to hearing him draw on his long and varied experience to provide an insight into a range of significant issues. His lecture will be of interest to anyone concerned with social cohesion, human rights and the equitable and appropriate application of justice."
Tickets for the lecture are £15 – with NSS members entitled to a £10 discount.
UN castigates Vatican over clerical sexual abuse of minors
Posted: Wed, 23 Jun 2021 17:39
UN special rapporteurs have criticised the Vatican over child sexual abuse in stronger terms than ever before, highlighting that there have been "tens of thousands of alleged victims" over "decades".
This week the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights has released a letter which it sent to the Holy See in April (English translation available).
It details significant abuse in eight countries and highlights concerns over the Vatican's "obstructionist practices".
The letter expressed regret that there had been no response to a separate communication which the rapporteurs sent in 2019.
The latest letter has only been made public, as they had threatened, because it had not been replied to either.
'Obstructionist practices'
The rapporteurs referred to "persistent allegations" that the Catholic Church had obstructed and failed to cooperate with domestic judicial proceedings, in order to "prevent" accountability for abusers and compensation for victims.
They urged the Vatican to "refrain from obstructionist practices" and to "cooperate fully" with the judicial authorities within states.
The rapporteurs also raised concerns over concordats and other agreements which the Holy See has negotiated with states, which limit civil authorities' ability to "interrogate" or "compel the production of documents or prosecute persons associated with the Catholic Church".
They cited as an example a refusal to provide files to a prosecutor in Argentina, which the Catholic Church justified by citing a concordat which had already been declared unconstitutional.
The rapporteurs also expressed regret that the Vatican had not yet made it mandatory to report crimes to the civilian authorities, as the UN urged in 2014.
The letter also highlighted a series of other concerns, including that the church had:
- Undermined legislative efforts to "improve the justiciability of sexual violence against children".
- Allowed perpetrators and concealers to escape national judicial proceedings.
- Invited aggressors to flee to the Vatican and then denied their extradition.
The National Secular Society has observed numerous examples of the various complaints cited by the rapporteurs. The NSS sent the rapporteurs two detailed reports on the subject last year.
NSS comment
NSS president Keith Porteous Wood said: "The Vatican has largely ignored the recommendations of UN experts for years, despite the horrific extent of clerical abuse becoming ever more evident.
"We commend the rapporteurs for their efforts on behalf of justice and abuse victims. We urge state parties to support victims by applying pressure on the Vatican to conform to human rights obligations and to heed what the UN experts call for."
Vatican accused of meddling in Italy's legislative process
Meanwhile the Vatican has been accused of "unprecedented" meddling in Italy's legislative process by Italian politicians and activists after it formally opposed an Italian bill expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people.
The Holy See claims the proposed law violates a 1985 concordat regulating relations between the Catholic Church and the Italian state.
This concordat amended the earlier Lateran Treaty, which was signed in 1929 by Benito Mussolini on behalf of the Italian government and later confirmed by the Italian constitution of 1948.
Note on concordats
The website concordatwatch.eu details the many concordats which are still in effect.
Image by Vali Ciudin from Pixabay.
