During the period of 1970 and 2015, 931 allegations of child sexual abuse in the church were made by 1,753 individuals. This involved more than 3,000 instances of alleged abuse made against 931 perpetrators, the ongoing Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has found.
IICSA condemned the ongoing failings within the church and stated its “moral purpose has been betrayed by those who sexually abused children”. It further criticised “those who turned a blind eye” and failed to take action against perpetrators.
The report stated that the head of of the church in England and Wales appeared to put the reputation of the church first, before those who had suffered sexual abuse within the institution.
It is estimated that on average, the church still receives over 100 allegations every year.
The report concludes by stating that the church “needs to be more compassionate and more understanding of the lifelong damage that child sexual abuse can cause”.
If you have suffered any abuse, our experienced abuse team headed by Natalie Marrison are here to help. For a confidential discussion, please contact the Ramsdens Abuse team on 0113 887 1834 or email Natalie.marrison@ramsdens.co.uk.