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- WHAT IS RELIGIOUS CHILD MALTREATMENT?
- Videos
- Does religious child maltreatment only happen in cults?
- Protecting children from religious abuse: Janet speaks at Austin Oasis
- Telling the truth about religious child abuse
- Janet Heimlich speaks at Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago – Oct. 8, 2017
- Jerry Minor talks about growing up in Jehovah’s Witnesses
- Richard Dawkins introduces Janet Heimlich on RCM panel
- Janet Heimlich speaks at St. Edwards University
- Designation Program Curriculum for Faith Communities
- Survivor Voices: Vennie Kocsis interviews Janet Heimlich and Jaime Romo
- Janet Heimlich’s BREAKING THEIR WILL
- Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics
- Helpful Organizations
- Recommended Books, Films & DVDs
- Programs for Kids & Grownups
- Prince v. Massachusetts (1944)
- Contact
He told me that, because he was a man of God and he represented Christ in the flesh, it would be spiritual and natural for him to take care of me sexually. . . . But even though I felt that it was wrong, afterwards I thought, because [he] said he was a man of God and he brought up those things from the Bible, somehow, it was okay, or holy.
—Lindsay Tornambe, child sexual abuse survivor
Religious community leaders should support the elimination of harmful practices inflicted on children, including by publicly challenging problematic religious justifications for such practices whenever they occur. . . . While in many situations of violations the rights of the child and the rights of his or her parents may be affected in conjunction, it is not always the case. . . . The interests of parents and children are not necessarily identical, including in the area of freedom of religion or belief.
—Heiner Bielefeldt, Special Rapporteur, Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, United Nations
[W]e must acknowledge that our religious communities have not fully upheld their
obligations to protect our children from violence. Through omission, denial and silence,
we have at times tolerated, perpetuated and ignored the reality of violence against
children in homes, families, institutions and communities, and not actively confronted
the suffering that this violence causes. Even as we have not fully lived up to our
responsibilities in this regard, we believe that religious communities must be part
of the solution to eradicating violence against children, and we commit ourselves
to take leadership in our religious communities and the broader society.
—The Kyoto Declaration: "A multi-religious commitment to confront violence against children," Religions for Peace Eighth World Assembly, Kyoto, Japan, August 2006
The Ten Commandments made room to condemn taking God's name in vain, keeping the Sabbath holy, and prohibiting graven images, but there is no "Thou shalt not rape." The Quran places great priority on not eating pork and on gathering wives and slave girls; but this horrific, devastating crime that has been committed rampantly throughout history against half of humanity doesn't even get an acknowledgement of existence.
—Ali A. Rizvi
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
—Kahlil Gibran
The Child-Friendly Faith Project: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment
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