wfn.org | Help for women abused by church leaders

[JDL@MennoniteCC.ca]

July 23, 1996 Mennonite Central Committee Canada
John Longhurst, MCCC Communications
(204) 261-6381
JDL@Mennonitecc.ca

For Immediate Release

SUPPORT GROUP HELPS WOMEN SEXUALLY ABUSED BY CHURCH LEADERS

WINNIPEG, Man. -- Six Winnipeg women who have been sexually abused
by a minister or other church leader received support during a
first-ever support group run by the Mennonite Central Committee
(MCC) Manitoba-supported Voices for Non-Violence (VNV).
     The group, which ran for 12 weeks beginning March 25, gave
participants an opportunity to "feel less isolated, explore the
effects of the abuse in their lives and on their faith and find
tools to help them deal with their pain," says VNV director Heather
Block.
     Topics covered during the meetings included defining sexual
abuse, coping skills, long term effects, shame and guilt,
forgiveness and impact on faith and sexuality.
     According to Block, the women "all had the common experience
of feeling alone and not believed" after the abuse happened.  The
group was important because it "allowed them to meet and talk with
others who had a similar experience, people who didn't question
whether the abuse happened or lay blame," she says.
     For one participant, the group was "a safe place to discuss
issue that are not always easy to discuss with friends and family." 
Another said the meetings allowed her "to gain a new realization of
[my] strengths."  Another indicated that it "reduced my isolation."
     The group was made possible by a $4,000 grant from the
Winnipeg Foundation, a local organization which supports non-profit
groups in that city.
     A 1993 study by the Women and Mental Health Committee of the
Canadian Mental Health Association, Manitoba Division found that 25
percent of respondents who were abused indicated the abuse was
perpetrated by a religious or spiritual leader--second only to
physicians at 39 percent.  The study recommended that victims of
abuse need counselling and support groups to deal with the effects
of the experience, among other things.

                              - 30 -   
       

John Longhurst, MCC Communications
JDL@MennoniteCC.CA
Visit our World Wide Web site at http://www.mennonitecc.ca/mcc