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.
No religious organisation is immune to abuse. 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
No religious loopholes for reporting abuse, NSS warns government
Posted: Mon, 7 Aug 2023 13:27
Mandatory reporting laws "must apply to all religious settings" including the 'seal of confession', says NSS
No religious loopholes for reporting abuse, NSS warns government
Posted: Mon, 7 Aug 2023 13:27
There must be no religious exemptions to laws requiring child sex abuse to be reported, the National Secular Society has warned.
The NSS has told the Home Office it must resist religious lobbying for sacramental confession to be exempted from new mandatory reporting laws.
The NSS's warning came in response to a Home Office consultation on implementing a recommendation from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) that people who work with children be legally obliged to report incidents of sex abuse.
The NSS said mandatory reporting laws "must apply to all religious settings", including the 'seal of confession'.
During sacramental confession, which is held by the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, an individual reports their 'sins' privately to a priest and asks for forgiveness.
In countries including Ireland and Australia, the Catholic Church has resisted laws which would require a priest who heard disclosures of child sex abuse during confession to report the incident to the authorities.
The NSS said there is "ample evidence" many disclosures of child sex abuse have been made in confession which, if acted on, could have prevented subsequent abuse.
Research has found that sex abusers within Catholic clergy have used confession to disclose their abuse and absolve themselves of guilt, in the knowledge that their abuse would not be reported. This enabled the continuation of abuse.
Dynamics in other religious institutions may affect their willingness to report child sex abuse, the NSS warned. This includes the Jehovah's Witnesses' 'two witness' rule in which elders of a congregation will only act if there are two witnesses to any 'sin' committed, including abuse.
The NSS expressed concern that the government does not appear to have accepted IICSA's recommendation to abolish the three year time limit for child abuse personal injury claims. It also said organisations where abuse has occurred should bear the cost of a victim redress scheme.
The NSS said other reforms are necessary to protect children in religious settings, including:
- Greater powers to tackle unregistered schools and a compulsory register for all children not in school.
- Ensuring all schools, including faith schools, teach inclusive and objective relationships and sex education, and removing the parental right of withdrawal.
- A review of the 'advancement of religion' charitable purpose, as it appears to enable religious institutions with repeated safeguarding failures to operate as registered charities and benefit from tax breaks.
NSS: Government 'must ensure religious privilege does not undermine mandatory reporting law'
NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson said: "We welcome the government's engagement with IICSA's recommendation to implement mandatory reporting laws for child sex abuse. But such a law must have no religious loopholes.
"Close ties to the state, deferential attitudes and prioritising institutional reputation over the rights and well-being of children have all enabled child sex abuse in religious settings.
"The government must ensure religious privilege does not undermine any new legal duties to report suspected child sex abuse, no matter how hard some churches may lobby for exemptions."
