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
Catholic Church’s attempt to evade responsibility for child abuse liability is stymied by Supreme Court
Posted: Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:53
The Supreme Court has this week refused to hear a case from the Catholic Church that it could not be held responsible for abuse committed by one of its priests because he was not an 'employee'. This means the Catholic Church can now be financially liable for child abuse by priests working under its control.
The case arose when a Portsmouth woman brought a civil action against the Church after claiming she was abused by a priest at a children's home run by the Church.
The woman, identified in court as Miss E, was seven years old when she was admitted to the Firs Children' Home in 1970. She alleges she was sexually abused by Father Wilfred Baldwin, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth, who died in 2006.
In November 2011, High Court judge Mr Justice Alistair MacDuffs ruled that the church is legally responsible for sexual abuse committed by its priests. This week's ruling by the Supreme Court has now confirmed that decision.
Peter Furlough, who represents the lawyers of the Waterlooville victim, said it was a landmark case that could not be challenged in Europe– and one that would have international ramifications for the Catholic Church.
He told The Portsmouth News: "The Supreme Court has refused the Catholic Church permission to make further appeals to it. Therefore the Catholic Churches' case is lost. That's to say they are responsible for the misbehaviour of their priests.
"The Catholic Church were looking to use a loophole. They were arguing that because priests are technically self-employed the church could not be held responsible for their misbehaviour. The Supreme Court was having none of it."
Because the point of the law has now been settled, it means that other cases of alleged abuse by Father Baldwin can be heard. Mr Furlough said there were known to be several 'local' victims.
Mr Furlough said: "It's known there are a number of other cases involving the late Father Baldwin. We should expect a number of other cases to come forward. There's a list of half a dozen or so that are known."
He added: "It's not possible for the church to go toEurope. The Supreme court has refused even to hear it. Therefore the case stops there and can't go any further."
He said the ruling would have an impact across the globe in similar cases.
Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, said: "It is hard to exaggerate the importance of this case: it will almost certainly become an international precedent opening the door to financial liability against the Church for at least tens of thousands of victims of abuse worldwide.
"Evidence abounds of the shameless lengths to which the Church has stooped for decades to evade financial responsibility for widespread abuse of children in its care. To have fought to evade liability for admitted abuse is both morally repugnant and a continuing blatant breach of the Church's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child."
NSS draws international attention to UN report that berates USA on its lax approach to clerical child abuse
Posted: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:26
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has expressed deep concern to the US Government about its failure to properly deal with "sexual abuse committed by clerics and leading members of certain faith-based organizations and religious institutions on a massive and long-term scale amounting to sexual slavery or servitude of children".
Concerned that the failure of the US authorities to prosecute the sexual abuse, the UNCRC has urged them to investigate all cases of "sexual abuse of children whether single or on a massive and long-term scale, committed by clerics".
The condemnation (shown in full below) was made as part of a cyclical five yearly review of states by the committee, and followed evidence given by the National Secular Society focussing on the Catholic Church.
NSS executive director, Keith Porteous Wood, commented: "$2 billion has been paid out to abuse victims in compensation by the Catholic Church in the US indicating a massive scale of abuse. Yet very few clerical perpetrators have been convicted and only one official has been convicted for facilitating the abuse. Hundreds, if not thousands, of clerics have wrongly escaped justice due to the continuing secrecy of the Church and the issue being almost ignored by law enforcers.
"That so many perpetrators have escaped scot-free is yet a further abuse of the victims whose whole lives have often been ruined as a result.
"Pope Benedict has been responsible since 1981 for the policing of the Church, and with it, child abuse, and many think, as I do, that no one is more culpable than he is. He has hushed up abuse accusations to protect clerics, the Church's reputation and funds. He has obstructed secular justice rather than encouraged it. We can only hope that his successor opens the secret files and treats victims with the respect they deserve.
"Prosecuting authorities have some very awkward questions to answer, and not just in the USA, and I hope they too take to heart the UN's stinging criticism, where they mention "inaction and/or corruption".
"I acknowledge that child abuse in religious institutions is not confined to the RC Church, but there is no doubt that it occurred within the RC church at a much greater level than any other religious institution."
What the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded (Word doc):
35. The Committee is deeply concerned at information of sexual abuse committed by clerics and leading members of certain faith-based organizations and religious institutions on a massive and long-term scale amounting to sexual slavery or servitude of children and about the lack of measures taken by the State party to properly investigate cases and prosecute those accused who are members of those organizations and institutions.
36. The Committee urges the State party to take all the necessary measures to investigate all cases of sexual abuse of children whether single or on a massive and long-term scale, committed by clerics, to issue clear instructions to all relevant authorities to actively prosecute those cases and to engage in a dialogue with faith-based organizations religious institutions and their leaders, in order to enlist their active and open collaboration to prevent, investigate and prosecute cases. The State party should also draw the attention of law enforcement authorities to the sanctions that may be imposed on them in case of inaction and/or corruption.
The NSS's involvement in this was reported around the world after the story was taken up by Reuters.
