Responding to Sexual Abuse, by Marla Pierson Lester, Mennonite Central Committee [United States], September 18, 2006

Responding to Sexual Abuse

By Marla Pierson Lester
Mennonite Central Committee [United States]
September 18, 2006

http://www.mcc.org/news/news/2006/2006-09-18_sexualabuse.html

Note: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is one of two articles from MCC News Service about the issue of abuse. The other story, "Home shouldn't be a place that hurts," deals with domestic violence and encourages congregations to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Two million people have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. This photo of Otash camp, near the town of Nyala, South Darfur, was taken in 2004.

The MCC. U.S. brochure, Home Shouldn't be a Place that Hurts, is available in English and Spanish.

MCC U.S. is working with congregations to help pastors and church leaders gain tools to understand and respond to situations of sexual abuse or violation that impact the congregation.

Churches' response to sexual abuse or misconduct has often been to maintain silence and that, MCC U.S. staff and church leaders say, is not helpful either to those who commit sexual abuses nor to those who have been sexually abused.

Raising awareness about the issue of sexual abuse can bring accountability for those who have committed or are tempted to commit abuses.

And openness can aid those who are being abused or who have been abused in the past. "I think it's extremely enabling for survivors' healing, to have people in their church and their community name it as sin and acknowledge the pain that it brings," said Jane Peifer, pastor of Blossom Hill Mennonite Church in Lancaster.

Peifer said sexual abuse and misconduct is common enough that "you're always going to have victims of sexual abuse in the congregation, although it may not have happened in the church."

"It's important for pastors to be prepared for this reality," she said.

Churches are starting to acknowledge that sexual violence has long-term consequences for those who are abused, said Janet Breneman, pastor of Laurel Street Mennonite Church.

"It's a lifelong struggle. ... That calls for dealing with it in that kind of way and taking it seriously," she said. "I don't think we've done that in the past. I don't think we recognized the consequences for victims."

Breneman and Peifer participated in an MCC U.S.-sponsored roundtable on responding to sexual abuse in early August. The three-day event brought together church leaders; pastors who led case studies on congregations' experiences with issues of sexual abuse; and other speakers offering resources on sexual abuse and how to promote healing and structures of safety and accountability in congregations.

A key part for both Breneman and Peifer was the emphasis on putting safeguards in place in the congregation to reduce the chance that children could be violated.

In response to the conference, Breneman's congregation, Laurel Street Mennonite Church, is using the MCC resource, "Making Your Sanctuary Safe," to craft a more stringent policy for their children's programs. The guide raises awareness about why abuse prevention programs are necessary and offers tools to assess the safety needs of congregation, screening processes for staff and volunteers, prevention and response policies and other resources. . "That felt like a good beginning place," Breneman said. "I felt very excited the leadership team was ready to pick that up."

Blossom Hill has also recently written safety policies for its children's programs, said Peifer. She encourages long-time teachers of children and youth to welcome having their backgrounds checked, saying she hopes "those who would never abuse children would be especially supportive of safety policies, and not be threatened by the process."

MCC U.S. will consider offering additional seminars on responding to sexual abuse. The Web site, mcc.org/abuse, has a variety of resources for pastors, churches or individuals seeking tools to address this issue.

MCC U.S. is also offering an Oct. 2-4 training in Akron on Circles of Support and Accountability, a program that aims to reduce the risk of future victimization of community members by supporting released offenders and holding them accountable as they integrate with the community and seek to lead responsible and productive lives.