Children of Christians are Potentially more Vulnerable to Abuse

The CEOP report included contributions from the Church of England, the NSPCC and Operation Yewtree, and suggested that institutional
structures can discourage junior staff from reporting suspicion. It also pointed to abusers being able to gain the trust of their victims, and that victims can feel like this extra attention is ‘an honour’.

Simon Bass, CEO of CCPAS, said: ‘It sounds harsh to suggest that the children of strongly-committed parents are more at risk of being abused. However, this is not only true but stems largely from the fact that they tend to buy in to the culture of their local church wholeheartedly. Unscrupulous church leaders may be able to exploit the respect and, often, unquestioning obedience they receive from their more committed members as cover for their abusing, because they are less likely to believe their leaders could or would ever offend. And if any do have concerns, the hierarchical, narrow pyramid structures of such churches prevents them from raising those worries in the most appropriate and effective ways.’