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Church Abuse comprises a wide-range of immoral and improper behaviors commonly perpetrated on children and tweens by pedophilic priests or other church employees involving sexual abuse of varying degrees. The sexual assault might be a one-time, non-consensual scroll barencounter or it can involve numerous acts inside an ongoing interaction. For instance, a continuing “trusting” interaction with a young child created by the predatory behavior of a church associate, cloaked by the trust and respect imputed to a priest, leading to non-consensual sexual assault acts of molestation.

In nearly all claimed Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse situations, the short-coming by the Clergy member’s employer to fully, adequately and promptly report the crime to police and other authorities, or its further failure to research, contend with and deal entirely with the situation increases the effects on the assault survivor, the community and possibly others. Current Church Sexual Abuse cases covered in the media show these short-comings, which includes “pass-the-trash” scenarios where the abuser oftentimes a priest in the Catholic Church, is suddenly re-assigned from one church to another only to continue his predatory, criminal behavior on an unsuspecting parish community.

Priest and Clergy Sexual Abuse & Retribution
Not a week passes without a news announcement coverage about sexual assault and molestation of young children by pedophile priests, or the effects of the abuse on the victims and their families. If you are a victim of sexual assault from a priest or other clergy member, these stories are most likely to serve as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, embarrassment, guilt and various unwanted feelings staining your wellness. Encouraged by the societal movement and other pathways that encourage victims to disclose the abuse they suffered, victims of assault are more frequently employing the legal system to compensate them for the lifelong damage and injury they have suffered.

If you are a victim of assault perpetrated by a member of the clergy, the impact of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system can be incalculable. Regardless, holding the responsible person and institutions accountable for their crimes and indifference might provide a measure of justice and recompense to abuse survivors. Oftentimes, victims can leverage their legal rights in confidential mediation thereby avoiding the need for litigation. But, if litigation is necessary, a case might be filed where the survivor can remain anonymous.

Predatory Behavior
All abusers, to varying amounts, use predatory methods which are generally known as grooming, aiming at a potential assault victim. Below is a survey of grooming behaviors exhibited by predators who are in a job of authority relative to the subordinate child.

Grooming
Grooming is a major piece of a predator’s strategy. In a church environment, the clergy member is viewed as God’s representative. Within  abused in church Texas , the predator frequently works closely with small amounts of children, identifying each child’s needs, vulnerabilities and circumstances. Once a victim is identified, these vulnerabilities – like violent family setting, loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – can be systematically leveraged in the following ways:

Trust
An assaulter will first work to gain the child’s trust. This strategy is most difficult to discern as religious communities are often tight-knit and personal relation with clergy is commonplace. Here, the priest can feign genuine interest in the child’s wellness and development – both emotional and religious.

Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential victim and oftentimes their family members, the child will begin to rely more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The victim will spend more time with the priest, feeling more comfortable with the relationship and counting on its stability and security. In addition to attention and affection, the potential target may receive gifts from the priest, including valuable, intangible gifts like blessings and special recognition.
Isolation
As the grooming continues, the predator might try to isolate the possible victim. This might mean solo counseling sessions, meals or various forms of one-on-one isolated moments.
Sexualization
The predator might start to de-sensitize the target from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and various actions that lead to sexual interaction. This might start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to determine the victim’s response to the progression. This will escalate until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is created, the predator will try to maintain control of the child and the continued interaction. The predator may likely want to manipulate the victim by continuing to make the target feel special and worthy. The predator will continue to exploit the target by whatever ways needed to maintain the immoral physical relationship.

Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors

The impact of childhood abuse on the victim can be overwhelming and life-changing. Many priest assault survivors suffer from lifelong effects of the assault including depression, disturbed sleeping, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and eating patterns, and difficulty creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Individualized treatment and support groups can assist victims overcome these effects.

Legally, a survivor of Priest Sexual Abuse may gain financial compensation from the predator and, more commonly, from the religious organization for its failure to shield the child from the assault, as well as failures or deficiencies in its process of reviewing and responding to reports of assault. If you are a survivor of Priest or Clergy Sexual Assault and would like to confidentially discuss your experience and your legal options, we are ready to speak with you.

To learn more, go to website: https://www.meneolawgroup.com/personal-injury/clergy-sexual-abuse/blog/new-york-child-victims-act-takes-effect-august-14-2019