General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Duluth, MN Church Shaken by Long-Time Child Sexual Abuse Story [View all]MineralMan
(150,367 posts)However, people in positions of trust who deal with children often seem to believe they are immune to punishment for child molestation. Like all such abusers they use threats to keep the victims from talking about the abuse. Religious leaders, teachers, people leading youth groups and others seem to be common offenders. My theory is that such positions attract people who seek to abuse children. They are in contact with their victims and trusted by adults.
In my life, I've encountered a few such abusers. One, who was a youth minister in the church I attended, was caught in the act with a 14-year-old girl who had developmental issues. Rather than be punished in the legal system, he was shuffled off to another church in another city. I was 16 when that occurred. it was one of the primary reasons I decided to distance myself from religion.
In the end, that episode cost a couple of pastors to lose their jobs, since some people, including myself, went public on the abuse. My wife has a similar story from her own church when she was about the same age. Again, the perpetrator simply transferred to another city. Eventually, though, he was caught and prosecuted.