Institute of Criminology Public Seminars: 'Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church: The case of Spain'

Speaker: Professor Noemí Pereda, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Victimology University of Barcelona

Child sexual abuse by clergy has existed throughout the history of the Catholic Church, however these cases have not come to light until very recently. In Spain, the interest in this topic increased five years ago when a journalist revealed the multiple accusations against several members of schools of the Marist Brothers and the silent response of the institution when they knew. Taking this as a starting point, I will discuss the specific context in which child sexual abuse has emerged and present data from the first descriptive study on Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Spain. Thirty-eight adult victims of clergy child sexual abuse participated in the study. The characteristics of the sexual victimization and the perpetrator, the process of disclosure and notification, and the experience of other forms of victimization previous to the abuse were evaluated. I conclude that the Spanish Catholic Church must acquire the commitment to collaborate in the recovery processof victims from the emotional, physical and spiritual damage caused by the clergy.

The IoC Public Seminar Series is open to all interested in attending, with no ticket required, but please notify Reception if you wish to attend: crimrece@hermes.cam.ac.uk.

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