PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat
By Dave Sutor
dsutor@tribdem.com
Victim Services Inc. has experienced approximately a 200 percent increase in the number of adult male survivors of childhood sexual assault seeking help within the past year.
That time period roughly coincides with how long has passed since the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General released a grand jury report, on March 1, 2016, in which it provided details about an alleged decades-long coverup of child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown.
Mike Oliver, executive director of Victim Services, said there is “no way to gauge” if the report led directly to the increase because “that’s not a question that we ask (clients).”
But the publicity might have led to victims – both those abused by priests and other individuals not affiliated with the church – coming forward. …
Founders of the new local Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests chapter recently reached out to Victim Services to discuss what can be done to help individuals assaulted by church authority figures. “While we don’t have anything official on paper or any type of official linkage whatsoever (with SNAP), we would be able to help those individuals the same as we would be able to provide service to any victim of sexual assault within Cambria or Somerset County,” Oliver said.
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