Victims Abused As “missionary Kids” Meet in Atlanta

SNAP
April 16, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ga_victims_abused_as_missionary_kids_meet_in_atlanta

Adults who were sexually, physically and emotionally abused overseas in Christian settings are holding an international conference this weekend (Apr 17-19) in Atlanta, GA.

The group, MK Safety Net, provides support to those who suffered while their parents were Christian missionaries in developing nations across the globe.

Their plight was detailed in an award-winning documentary film called All God’s Children.

[allgodschildrenthefilm.com]

Led by a minister, the group will hold a service of lament, called “A Time to Mourn. A Time to Grieve.”

One of the speakers will be Boz Tchividjian, a former prosecutor who is Rev. Billy Graham’s grandson. He heads a group called GRACE, Godly Response to Abuse in Christian Environments and blogs for the Religion News Service.

Other speakers include attorneys and mental health professionals.

“It’s an amazing group of people: men and women who were taken abroad as children when their devout parents became missionaries in developing nations,” said David Clohessy of St. Louis. He’s the director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “These youngsters lived away from their moms and dads and were often treated brutally and abused repeatedly by ‘dorm parents.’”

“As adults, in the early/mid 1990s, these brave and courageous victims began to organize, reach out, support each other and expose the horrors they endured in these isolated settings,” said Barbara Dorris of SNAP. “We know MKSafety Net has given comfort and guidance to hundreds of adults who still struggle with the life-long impact of such horrific betrayal.”