Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse BY Priests Double in 12 Months, According to Report
The AP news reported at the end of May that the US Roman Catholic Church confirmed some upsetting information. The church stated that “allegations of child sex abuse by clerics more than doubled in its latest 12-month reporting period.” From July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, 1385 adults came forward with more than 1400 abuse allegations. During the previous reporting period, there were 693 allegations. In the annual report released by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, the increase in accusations is likely the result of victim’s compensation funds established in several New York Dioceses.
The Church did confirm that it spent over 300 million dollars on legal fees, victim compensation, and child-protection efforts during the same period. This number was up 14% from the previous year. Perhaps the availability of resources to compensate people for their years of suffering in silence is giving victims of child sexual abuse an extra push to come forward and hold their abusers accountable.
States Establish Victim Compensation Funds to Encourage Individuals to Come Forward
The AP report also noted that it expects the numbers of victims and allegations to continue to increase in the coming years. One reason for this is that Catholic Dioceses in states other than New York have implemented victim compensation programs. New Jersey and Pennsylvania, for example, have started large victim compensation programs in the wake of a Pennsylvania grand jury identifying more than 300 Catholic priests who were credibly accused of sex abuse over many decades. More and more state attorney generals are setting up hotlines. Many dioceses have been releasing the names of the clergy members and priests accused of sex abuse. These actions, along with encouragement from advocacy groups, are making it easier for victims of sexual abuse to come forward and file reports.
According to one advocacy group called SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) “Lawmakers are increasingly getting rid of archaic, predator-friendly laws and 16 attorneys general have launched investigations, so many victims are feeling hopeful.”
Contact Us For Help If The Catholic Church Sexually Abused You.
If you are one of the thousands of victims of clergy sex abuse, you may be able to participate in one of the available compensation programs or file a lawsuit against the church that covered up or was indifferent to your abuse. Contact our lawyers who are handling clergy sexual abuse cases in New York and New Jersey.
Call Alonso Krangle, LLP at 516-350-5555 for a free, confidential case evaluation.