Truth Project Thematic Report: Child sexual abuse in the context of religious institutions
Date
2019
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IICSA
Abstract
This is the first publication in a series of thematic reports examining what victims and survivors have
shared with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (‘the Inquiry’) as part of the Truth Project
about their experiences of child sexual abuse and the institutional context in which it occurred.
It details the research findings in relation to experiences of sexual abuse that occurred in ‘religious
contexts’, based on the location or perpetrator of the abuse. This includes both sexual abuse that has
taken place in a religious institution and sexual abuse that has taken place in a different setting but
where the perpetrator was a member of the clergy or other staff affiliated with a religious institution
(see section 1.2 for a more detailed discussion of our inclusion and exclusion criteria).
The accounts in this report are from victims and survivors who came to the Truth Project between
June 2016 and November 2018. The majority of participants reported sexual abuse by individuals from
Anglican and Catholic Churches in England and Wales. However, such abuse within other Christian
denominations and other religions – including the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Islam and Judaism – was also
reported and is included in the analysis. The analysis was undertaken by members of the Inquiry’s
Research Team between November 2018 and May 2019.
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Keywords
child sexual abuse, United Kingdom, International Resources, institutional abuse, clergy abuse, religious institutions, research
Citation
Hurcombe, R., Darling, A., Mooney, B., Ablett, G., Soares, C., King, S., & Brähler, V. (2019). Truth Project Thematic Report: Child sexual abuse in the context of religious institutions. Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse.