Graydon Greene
2023-07-23 20:30:02 UTC
Abuse across Protestant churches
Child sex abuse happens across Protestant and evangelical churches - and,
at times, at a higher rate.
An investigation by The Associated Press recently found three insurance
companies in the United States that provide liability coverage for 165,000
Protestant churches typically receive 260 reports every year of children
being sexually abused by Protestant clergy or other staff.
In 2013, Boz Tchividjian, a Liberty University law professor, said the
Christian mission field is a "magnet" for sexual abusers.
Tchividjian, a grandson of the late evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham,
excoriated evangelicals for turning a blind eye to abuse among their
ranks.
The Presbyterian Church
In recent years, the Presbyterian Church, one of the most progressive
mainline denominations, has been rocked by child sexual abuse cases. The
majority of cases involved the children of missionaries serving overseas
from the 1950s to 1990.
In the wake of mounting allegations, the church commissioned an
independent panel to investigate the reports. The panel found that at
least nine individuals, including ministers ordained with the
denomination, had abused children.
A similar investigation in 2002 found "overwhelming" evidence that at
least 22 girls and women had been sexually abused by a Presbyterian
minister and missionary over a 40-year period.
The abuse took place in Africa and the United States.
Matt York/AP
Southern Baptists
A survey by the Journal of Pastoral Care in 1993 found that 14 percent of
Southern Baptist ministers said they had engaged in "inappropriate sexual
behavior."
By 2000, a report to the Baptist General Convention found the incidence of
sexual abuse by clergy had reached "horrific proportions." Victims
advocates have derided church leadership for protecting predators and
covering up crimes.
In 2016 the Southern Baptist Convention elected Steve Gaines as its
president. A few years earlier, Gaines, at the time head of a Memphis,
Tennessee, church was implicated in clergy child molestation case.
Investigators said Gaines knew for years that one of his ministers had
sexually molested a child. Gaines neither reported the crime to police or
his congregation, police said.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Leaked internal documents this year catapulted the Jehovah's Witnesses
church unto the child sex crimes roster.
The insular church discouraged victims of sexual abuse from reporting the
abuse, the documents showed.
The leaked documents exposed sexual abuse accusations from three accusers
against a member of the church. The documents outline the efforts by the
church to cover up the scandal and keep it from the "worldly court of
law."
Since the news broke, hundreds of church members have come forward with
their own accounts of abuse. Attorneys believe there are thousands of
victims involved.
Predators: not so much pastors but volunteers
The majority of accused predators in faith settings are not clergy or
staff but church volunteers.
That is according to the Christian Ministry Resources, which serves more
than 75,000 congregations and 1,000 denominational agencies nationwide.
Annual surveys from the organization suggest that in recent years, the
pace of child-abuse allegations against American churches has averaged 70
a week.
Ultra-orthodox Jews
The New York community of ultra-Orthodox Jews has faced a backlash for
asking observant Jews to consult a rabbi instead of going immediately to
police with evidence of child sexual abuse.
Similar cases have sprung in other cities, including Baltimore and Miami,
involving allegations of sexual misconduct by orthodox Jewish leaders.
The case involving Rabbi Shmuel Krawatsky, formerly of the Beth Tfiloh
Dahan Community School in Baltimore, involves the alleged abuse of at
least three boys at a summer camp.
According to a report by The Jewish Week, the rabbi, who was naked and
alone in a pool changing room with two alleged victims, touched the boys
inappropriately before asking them to touch his "private parts" in
exchange for $100."
The report also states that the rabbi threatened the young boys not to
tell their parents.
Given the faith's shroud of secrecy there is no hard data regarding the
number of potential abuse victims in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Experts estimate that there could be thousands of victims dating back
decades.
The principle of mesirah forbids reporting a Jewish practitioner to
secular authorities. Issues are supposed to be handled internally within
the greater faith community.
Dennis Hastert
In 2016, Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the
House in U.S. history, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for
structuring payouts in order to cover up the sexual abuses he perpetrated
as a wrestling coach in Illinois decades ago.
"The thing I want to do is say I'm sorry to those I've hurt and misled.
They looked at me and I took advantage of them," Hastert told a judge.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin called Hastert "a serial child
molester."
Hastert was released last year from a federal prison in Minnesota after
serving nearly 13 months.
The former Republican powerhouse was ordered to serve two years of court-
ordered supervised release .
Jerry Sandusky
Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky is serving up to 60 years
in prison for sexually abusing 10 boys between 1994 and 2009.
Sandusky targeted his victims from among the boys who attended his Second
Mile camp, a charity that he ran for at-risk youth. He was convicted of 45
of 48 counts of child sexual abuse against young boys from the charity
Banned swimming coaches
Approximately 150 youth swimming coaches have been banned for life as a
result of credible child sex crimes allegations against them.
In 2010, Andy King, a coach with a California aquatics club, was charged
with 20 counts of lewd acts with girls 15 and younger. He was sentenced to
40 years in prison for molesting girls training with the San Jose Aquatics
Club. King was alleged to have impregnated one of his victims when she was
14.
In 2008, Central Indiana Aquatics coach Brian Hindson was accused of
setting up hidden cameras in locker rooms. He pleaded guilty to charges
including distribution, production and possession of child pornography and
was sentenced to 33 years in prison.
A coach who failed to step up
Chuch Wielgus, who served as executive director of USA Swimming for nearly
20 years, came under fire for his handling of sex abuse cases.
In 2014, more than four years after rebuking culpability, Wielgus
apologized to victims and acknowledged that he should have done more to
protect athletes.
He wrote in a blog post: "I wish my eyes had been more open to the
individual stories of the horrors of sexual abuse. I wish I had known more
so perhaps I could have done more."
Wielgus died in 2017.
Millions of children abused by teachers
Schools are supposed to be a safe environment for children, but they can
actually be one of the most dangerous places for children with regards to
sexual abuse.
A study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education found that up to
7 percent of all middle and high school students were the targets of
physical sexual abuse by teachers, coaches and other adults working in the
school system.
That statistic puts the number of young teens sexually abused by teachers
and other school adults in the millions.
A 2015 report found that just under 500 educators were arrested in
connection to child sex crimes:
3.5 million students (grades 8th-11th) reported having had physical
sexual contact from an adult (most often a teacher or coach).
4.5 million children reported being shown pornography or being
subjected to sexually explicit language or exhibitionism.
According to a report by The Washington Post, 35 percent of educators
convicted or accused of sexual misconduct with children had used social
media to gain access to their victims.
Young children have long been taught about "stranger danger," but, in
fact, most perpetrators are individuals close to a child, including a day
care worker or volunteer. According to federal health authorities,
pedophiles and child molesters, in general:
tend to be male
can be heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual
range in age from teens to midlife
are usually a relative, friend, or neighbor of the child
carry the abuse out in the home of the victim
often claim that they themselves were victims of childhood sexual
abuse.
The majority of victims are girls. When boys are victims, the sexual abuse
tends to take place outside the home, and the perpetrator may be a
stranger.
Child sex abuse happens across Protestant and evangelical churches - and,
at times, at a higher rate.
An investigation by The Associated Press recently found three insurance
companies in the United States that provide liability coverage for 165,000
Protestant churches typically receive 260 reports every year of children
being sexually abused by Protestant clergy or other staff.
In 2013, Boz Tchividjian, a Liberty University law professor, said the
Christian mission field is a "magnet" for sexual abusers.
Tchividjian, a grandson of the late evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham,
excoriated evangelicals for turning a blind eye to abuse among their
ranks.
The Presbyterian Church
In recent years, the Presbyterian Church, one of the most progressive
mainline denominations, has been rocked by child sexual abuse cases. The
majority of cases involved the children of missionaries serving overseas
from the 1950s to 1990.
In the wake of mounting allegations, the church commissioned an
independent panel to investigate the reports. The panel found that at
least nine individuals, including ministers ordained with the
denomination, had abused children.
A similar investigation in 2002 found "overwhelming" evidence that at
least 22 girls and women had been sexually abused by a Presbyterian
minister and missionary over a 40-year period.
The abuse took place in Africa and the United States.
Matt York/AP
Southern Baptists
A survey by the Journal of Pastoral Care in 1993 found that 14 percent of
Southern Baptist ministers said they had engaged in "inappropriate sexual
behavior."
By 2000, a report to the Baptist General Convention found the incidence of
sexual abuse by clergy had reached "horrific proportions." Victims
advocates have derided church leadership for protecting predators and
covering up crimes.
In 2016 the Southern Baptist Convention elected Steve Gaines as its
president. A few years earlier, Gaines, at the time head of a Memphis,
Tennessee, church was implicated in clergy child molestation case.
Investigators said Gaines knew for years that one of his ministers had
sexually molested a child. Gaines neither reported the crime to police or
his congregation, police said.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Leaked internal documents this year catapulted the Jehovah's Witnesses
church unto the child sex crimes roster.
The insular church discouraged victims of sexual abuse from reporting the
abuse, the documents showed.
The leaked documents exposed sexual abuse accusations from three accusers
against a member of the church. The documents outline the efforts by the
church to cover up the scandal and keep it from the "worldly court of
law."
Since the news broke, hundreds of church members have come forward with
their own accounts of abuse. Attorneys believe there are thousands of
victims involved.
Predators: not so much pastors but volunteers
The majority of accused predators in faith settings are not clergy or
staff but church volunteers.
That is according to the Christian Ministry Resources, which serves more
than 75,000 congregations and 1,000 denominational agencies nationwide.
Annual surveys from the organization suggest that in recent years, the
pace of child-abuse allegations against American churches has averaged 70
a week.
Ultra-orthodox Jews
The New York community of ultra-Orthodox Jews has faced a backlash for
asking observant Jews to consult a rabbi instead of going immediately to
police with evidence of child sexual abuse.
Similar cases have sprung in other cities, including Baltimore and Miami,
involving allegations of sexual misconduct by orthodox Jewish leaders.
The case involving Rabbi Shmuel Krawatsky, formerly of the Beth Tfiloh
Dahan Community School in Baltimore, involves the alleged abuse of at
least three boys at a summer camp.
According to a report by The Jewish Week, the rabbi, who was naked and
alone in a pool changing room with two alleged victims, touched the boys
inappropriately before asking them to touch his "private parts" in
exchange for $100."
The report also states that the rabbi threatened the young boys not to
tell their parents.
Given the faith's shroud of secrecy there is no hard data regarding the
number of potential abuse victims in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Experts estimate that there could be thousands of victims dating back
decades.
The principle of mesirah forbids reporting a Jewish practitioner to
secular authorities. Issues are supposed to be handled internally within
the greater faith community.
Dennis Hastert
In 2016, Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the
House in U.S. history, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for
structuring payouts in order to cover up the sexual abuses he perpetrated
as a wrestling coach in Illinois decades ago.
"The thing I want to do is say I'm sorry to those I've hurt and misled.
They looked at me and I took advantage of them," Hastert told a judge.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin called Hastert "a serial child
molester."
Hastert was released last year from a federal prison in Minnesota after
serving nearly 13 months.
The former Republican powerhouse was ordered to serve two years of court-
ordered supervised release .
Jerry Sandusky
Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky is serving up to 60 years
in prison for sexually abusing 10 boys between 1994 and 2009.
Sandusky targeted his victims from among the boys who attended his Second
Mile camp, a charity that he ran for at-risk youth. He was convicted of 45
of 48 counts of child sexual abuse against young boys from the charity
Banned swimming coaches
Approximately 150 youth swimming coaches have been banned for life as a
result of credible child sex crimes allegations against them.
In 2010, Andy King, a coach with a California aquatics club, was charged
with 20 counts of lewd acts with girls 15 and younger. He was sentenced to
40 years in prison for molesting girls training with the San Jose Aquatics
Club. King was alleged to have impregnated one of his victims when she was
14.
In 2008, Central Indiana Aquatics coach Brian Hindson was accused of
setting up hidden cameras in locker rooms. He pleaded guilty to charges
including distribution, production and possession of child pornography and
was sentenced to 33 years in prison.
A coach who failed to step up
Chuch Wielgus, who served as executive director of USA Swimming for nearly
20 years, came under fire for his handling of sex abuse cases.
In 2014, more than four years after rebuking culpability, Wielgus
apologized to victims and acknowledged that he should have done more to
protect athletes.
He wrote in a blog post: "I wish my eyes had been more open to the
individual stories of the horrors of sexual abuse. I wish I had known more
so perhaps I could have done more."
Wielgus died in 2017.
Millions of children abused by teachers
Schools are supposed to be a safe environment for children, but they can
actually be one of the most dangerous places for children with regards to
sexual abuse.
A study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education found that up to
7 percent of all middle and high school students were the targets of
physical sexual abuse by teachers, coaches and other adults working in the
school system.
That statistic puts the number of young teens sexually abused by teachers
and other school adults in the millions.
A 2015 report found that just under 500 educators were arrested in
connection to child sex crimes:
3.5 million students (grades 8th-11th) reported having had physical
sexual contact from an adult (most often a teacher or coach).
4.5 million children reported being shown pornography or being
subjected to sexually explicit language or exhibitionism.
According to a report by The Washington Post, 35 percent of educators
convicted or accused of sexual misconduct with children had used social
media to gain access to their victims.
Young children have long been taught about "stranger danger," but, in
fact, most perpetrators are individuals close to a child, including a day
care worker or volunteer. According to federal health authorities,
pedophiles and child molesters, in general:
tend to be male
can be heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual
range in age from teens to midlife
are usually a relative, friend, or neighbor of the child
carry the abuse out in the home of the victim
often claim that they themselves were victims of childhood sexual
abuse.
The majority of victims are girls. When boys are victims, the sexual abuse
tends to take place outside the home, and the perpetrator may be a
stranger.