Inside South Africa's Pastoral Sex Abuse Crisis

South Africa has a sexual abuse crisis. And while many of these attacks occur on the streets or in the home, every month, several cases of rape take place in churches and are perpetrated by pastors.

The assaulted individuals come from every ethnic group, age, social class, and even gender.

For over a decade, tens of thousands of South Africans have been violated in their communities.

To better understand South Africa’s abuse crisis and how faith communities are involved, I sat down with Vicky Abraham.

Vicky is an investigative journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition to her work at Religion Unplugged, Vicky’s work has appeared in The Roys Report, the Mail & Guardian, City Press and many other publications.

Vicky’s article last week, entitled “South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence Crisis Reaches The Pulpit” details the incredible range of sexual violence that is occurring at the hands of the person who parishioners often trust most, their pastor.

Abuse of teenagers is incredibly frequent, with many abusers having been abused in adolescence themselves and then perpetuating the cycle of sexual violence. But Vicky noted that even very elderly people and babies under a year old have fallen victim to abuse.

Vicky walked me through the complex path that victims often have to walk in order to report their abuser. When brought to church authorities, many victims are rebuked and told that what they say is going to harm the church and disrupt the spiritual community.

For men, who are also frequently victims, police officers will often mock them for having been sexually assaulted, heaping shame on an already devastating situation.

Vicky’s investigation into pastoral sex crimes is ongoing—with new cases appearing all the time. And while she is pleased with the outraged reactions from many healthy churches and even South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, there is still a long way to come.

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