Religious or spiritual themes are often weaponized by perpetrators to justify the abuse of children, and are invoked to avoid accountability and consolidate power within faith communities. Presented by a former child abuse prosecutor with a decade of experience in civil investigations of faith communities, this workshop provides best practices and practical tips for investigators, forensic interviewers, and other child protection professionals to navigate the dynamics of abuse in particular religious settings; the distortion of faith issues to manipulate victims; spiritual blocks to disclosure or compliance with investigations (and their implications for forensic interviews); special investigative considerations; and effective strategies for MDTs to navigate the convergence of faith and abuse. The workshop includes recent trends and developments in faith community response to abuse and articulates a path forward for MDTs to more fully address these issues.
Learning Objectives:
List potential sources of corroborative evidence in faith-related child abuse investigations
Articulate perpetrator distortion of faith issues to manipulate victims and communities
Describe spiritual blocks and their implications for conducting forensic interviews and building rapport with child sexual abuse survivors
