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
UN “concerned” about role of Catholic Church in Polish schools
Posted: Fri, 22 Apr 2022 15:34
A United Nations committee has echoed many concerns raised by the National Secular Society relating to the Catholic Church and child rights in Poland.
In its latest periodic report on Poland, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child included recommendations relating to education, LGBT+ rights and clerical abuse which the NSS proposed in its submission to the committee in 2020.
The committee is responsible for monitoring compliance with UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) among state parties.
In its 2020 submission, the NSS told the committee that although the law requires schools to provide classes in both ethics and religion, a large proportion of schools only provide religion classes. These classes are invariably Catholic confessional classes and are routinely presented as compulsory by schools, the NSS said.
In response, the committee said it was "concerned" about the role the Catholic Church plays in public education. It recommended ethics classes be available in all schools as an alternative to religion classes, and that the secular public school system "promote a culture of equality and inclusion".
LGBT+ rights and RSE
The NSS reported on the problem of discrimination and harassment of LGBT+ pupils in Poland, recommending training to address anti-LGBT bullying.
The committee agreed with the recommendation and said homophobic behaviour should be addressed "in particular in the context of religion classes".
The NSS also highlighted Poland's public discrimination and hate speech against LGBT+ people, including the establishment of 'LGBT-free zones', meant LGBT+ rights, women's reproductive rights and comprehensive relationships and sex education (RSE) are cast as a "sinister, co-ordinated threat to traditional values".
It said RSE should be provided for by law and be "relevant" and "based on science and human rights standards".
The committee agreed, recommending all adolescents "have access to comprehensive, age-appropriate, science based and gender stereotype-free education" on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church
The NSS highlighted evidence that the scale of clerical child sexual abuse in Poland is substantial and prosecutors are expected to treat the church with deference.
It said the concordat between Poland and the Holy See appeared to "compromise the effective administration of justice" and impeded Poland's ability to conform to the CRC. It recommended Poland make "greater efforts" to secure secular justice for victims and survivors.
The committee said it "remains concerned" about limited information on the investigation, prosecution and sanction of cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy. It said Poland should continue its efforts to ensure all child sex abuse cases are reported, investigated and prosecuted, including those perpetrated by members of the Catholic Church.
It also recommended collecting data relating to sexual abuse involving Catholic clergy.
NSS comment
NSS president Keith Porteous Wood welcomed the committee's recommendations.
He said: "It is very encouraging to see the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child echoing so many of our concerns and directly addressing the role of the Catholic Church in violations of children's rights.
"The committee must now do all it can to ensure Poland adequately responds to these concerns, without letting deference to the Church undermine its efforts."
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
