AUSTIN, TX– (April 1, 2021) – As National Child Abuse Prevention Month gets underway, the Child-Friendly Faith Project (CFFP), a national nonprofit that educates the public about religiously-enabled child maltreatment, is raising awareness of crimes against children perpetrated in religious institutions.
The CFFP is also drawing attention to a dangerous
As the coronavirus continues its deadly spread across America and around the world, there are some who are less concerned, less mindful of social-distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders, less tied to accurate, evidence-based medical directives. Of course, faith healing isn’t new, but the ongoing crisis has rightfully increased our national
On Saturday, October 5th, I had the honor and privilege of participating in the inaugural Protect Every Child march in Salt Lake City, Utah. This march, organized by child advocate and former LDS bishop Sam Young, aimed to end child abuse by bringing awareness to how common abuse is and
When I was a teenager, my priest abuser would have me sit in the car and wait for him while he went to his confessor before we would go on an out-of-town trip together. Had California’s SB 360 been in place then, how different my life—and those who came before
When Brian Bresee became a father, he was a sixth-generation Mormon who believed that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a good faith tradition and environment in which to raise children. But when his 14-year-old son took his own life, Brian began to scrutinize the church’s teachings
Boys Ranch was aware of the dangerous condition on their premises. Stuart and Andy’s outcries are corroborated by similar reports spanning decades. Within the past two years, dozens of former Boys Ranch residents have made outcries of physical and sexual abuse they endured while in Boys Ranch[’s] care.
The Child-Friendly Faith Project provides an outlet for abuse survivors of Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch to tell their stories about ongoing, egregious abuses they suffered as child residents at the institution. Matthew Miller lived at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch from 1983 to 1990. His open letter is addressed to Dan
The Associated Press has published a feature story on the egregious abuses that continued for decades at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in North Texas. Many abuse survivors say the institution ignores the needs of those it harmed and should be transparent about its mistakes of the past.
One man calls
We’ve seen some dangerous religious rituals and practices involving children since we started the CFFP in 2012. Organizations and communities have exposed children to “faith healing“-related egregious medical neglect, Mormon “worthiness interviews” (during which children are asked traumatizing, sexually inappropriate questions), and genital cutting.
This last week, we learned about a
It’s been great to see bi-partisan, pro-child-protection bills filed in state legislatures this year. (A sign that Big Religion isn’t as powerful as it once was. States are expanding child sexual abuse statutes of limitations and California is looking to require that clergy report suspected cases of child abuse heard in confession.