It’s very common for clergy abuse to only come to light years or even decades later. Often, victims don’t speak up for a significant amount of time. They don’t report what has happened to them.
This certainly doesn’t undermine their accusations, but it does sometimes lead people to ask why the reports were not made sooner. What keeps people from coming forward as soon as the abuse occurs?
Worries about victim blaming
One potential issue is that victims are worried they’re going to be blamed for what happened to them. Maybe their abuser was gaslighting them and made them think it was their fault or that they invited the activity.
After all, clergy members are often in a position of power and may be well-respected members of the community. There are those who may believe that the victim is lying and who will trust the clergy member, so victims don’t feel comfortable speaking up.
Many of them are children
Another thing to consider is that many of the victims are children when the abuse occurs. They may not understand what’s happening, who to talk to, or even that their rights have been violated. It is only as they grow up and realize that what happened to them was wrong that they come forward with their reports. Children often defer to adults, especially those in a position of power, so it can feel daunting and intimidating for them to speak up.
When these reports do eventually come to light, however, victims need to be well aware of all the legal options they have and the steps they can take moving forward.