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
Jehovah's Witnesses restructure mustn’t impede abuse payouts, says NSS
Posted: Wed, 15 Jul 2020 17:47
The National Secular Society has urged Britain's charity regulators to ensure the restructuring of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) charities does not obstruct victims of child abuse from claiming compensation.
The NSS has raised the issue with the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Scottish charity regulator, OSCR, after a report on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme this week.
The programme reported that the church is selling off substantial amounts of property and land that it owns. As part of a significant restructuring of the organisation, each congregation is being asked to dissolve its charitable status and merge – along with its assets – with the Kingdom Hall Trust.
The trust is a registered charity whose aims include being a "custodian trustee holding title to freehold and leasehold properties acquired as places of worship".
The assets mentioned on the Sunday programme included kingdom halls, which are used for worship and meetings.
An abuse survivor and lawyers who spoke to the programme expressed concern that such a restructuring could leave JW charities unable to pay potential liabilities.
A number of JW churches worldwide have been subject to investigations regarding their handling of sexual abuse allegations in recent years. In Australia, JW organisations have consolidated and sold properties worth millions of pounds amid a series of legal claims and a damning report from a royal commission.
NSS comment
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "It is clearly not in the public interest for charities to be permitted to restructure in ways that may impede victims and survivors of abuse within these communities from claiming compensation.
"We therefore urge the Charity Commission to use all available powers to ensure that the restructuring of JW charities does not impede abuse victims' and survivors' ability to obtain settlements."
Jehovah's Witnesses and abuse in Britain
JW communities' handling of abuse allegations will come under increased scrutiny next month, when the Independent Inquiry on Child Sexual Abuse is due to conduct hearings on the issue.
In 2018 scores of alleged victims accused the JWs of a culture of cover-up of child sexual abuse. Earlier this year at least 20 former JWs launched legal action over abuse which they say they suffered.
In 2017 the Charity Commission severely criticised the New Moston Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Manchester over its handling of allegations of abuse.
And in 2016 the Supreme Court ruled that the Watch Tower and Bible Tract Society of Great Britain, which oversees JW congregations, couldn't prevent the commission from conducting an inquiry over its handling of abuse allegations.
This week's episode of the Sunday programme is available on the BBC website; listen from 5:20 to 21:45 for the relevant section.
End religious groups’ self-regulation on safeguarding, inquiry told
Posted: Tue, 17 Mar 2020 10:43
A lawyer representing child abuse victims has called for an end to religious groups' self-regulation on safeguarding at the Independent Inquiry on Child Sexual Abuse.
Richard Scorer of Slater & Gordon – who is also a National Secular Society vice-president – delivered an opening statement to IICSA's hearings on child protections in religious organisations and settings on Monday.
He said his clients – organisations and individuals who work with, or advocate for, victims and survivors of abuse – were "unanimous in urging an end to self-regulation".
"Religious freedom is not an absolute right. It can legitimately be abridged to protect the rights and freedoms of others. And there are few rights and freedoms more important than the right of children to be free of sexual abuse.
"Pleas for religious freedom in this context are really pleas for religious exceptionalism: self-interest masquerading as principle. These pleas should be rejected."
IICSA is due to review child protection policies, practices and procedures across a range of religious institutions which has previously been beyond its remit in England and Wales.
These include institutions from religions including the Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, Judaism and non-conformist Christian denominations.
Richard Scorer said that "for far too long" the authorities had marked abuse in these institutions as "'too difficult' and 'too sensitive' to grapple with properly".
"In some cases, the authorities have ducked the subject for fear of provoking social tensions or stoking discrimination.
"As a result, victims and survivors in minority religious communities have been silenced and their abusers given impunity. Silenced, not only by their own communities and religious institutions, but also by the state's reluctance to tread in this territory.
"At long last, the reality of what it means to be victim of abuse in a Jewish, a Muslim, a Hindu, a Sikh or a Jehovah's Witness community might be glimpsed and maybe even understood and addressed."
He added that claims that religiosity reduces abuse were "simply not credible" and said cultures of "denial and disbelief" within religious institutions have "significant consequences for children".
He said in many of the settings under consideration, religious leaders are deeply reluctant to "admit that they even have a problem at all". And he noted that in many of the affected settings, "religious power and authority can be all encompassing".
The inquiry has since suspended the remainder of the public hearing due to the evolving situation with Covid-19.
IICSA's previous work on religion and child abuse
IICSA has previously heard extensive and damning evidence on the handling of child sexual abuse by the Church of England and the Catholic Church.
Last year a report from the inquiry's Truth Project also said it was much less likely that abuse in religious contexts would be reported to the external authorities.
Richard Scorer's clients are:
· Lloyd Evans, a campaigner highlighting abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses;
· The group Southall Black Sisters, which campaigns for the rights of women from ethnic minority backgrounds;
· NSS council member Yasmin Rehman and Sadia Hameed, who undertake similar work in Nottingham and Gloucestershire respectively;
· Migdal Emunah, the leading organisation supporting victims and survivors in Jewish communities;
· Dr Lisa Oakley, a respected academic who has researched abuse in Christian churches from a survivor perspective;
· The Interfaith Alliance, which campaigns to expose sexual abuse, bullying and discrimination in religious institutions.
Watch Richard Scorer's statement (starts after 3 hours and 19 minutes).
