Child sexual abuse in religious institutions: A comparative study based on sentences in Spain

Abstract

Child sexual abuse is a global problem that has several physical and psychological health implications for the victims. This study aimed to analyse the way criminal courts respond to allegations of child sexual abuse in religious institutions in Spain compared with cases of abuse committed in other institutional contexts. The sample is composed of 97 abusers from three institutional settings (religious institutions, educational centres, sports centres), responsible for a total of 335 child sexual abuse victims. Some of the results are similar to those found in other countries regarding the sex and age of the victims. There is a predominance of abuse involving bodily contact but without penetration, the abusers’ profiles are diverse, high exposure to minors was paramount as a risk factor, and there is a higher prevalence of diocesan priest abusers compared with members of religious orders. Significant differences were found between the three institutional groups (that is, religious, educational, and sports) in terms of penalties and civil compensation orders imposed on the abusers. The criminal courts consider sexual abuse committed by religious leaders to be a more severe form of the crime compared with abuse committed in other environments. Our study also revealed that several factors substantially influence the criminal courts’ response (for example, proven psychological harm, continuing crime, and the act of penetration), resulting in longer prison sentences and higher civil compensation. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Revisión de sentencias de personas en situación de sinhogarismo en los tribunales penales españoles (años 2016-2020)

“…Respecto a la metodología empleada (revisión sistemática de sentencias), no se puede afirmar que los repositorios jurisprudenciales recojan la totalidad de sentencias dictadas. Es más, esta dificultad se ha puesto de manifiesto en diversos estudios (Stancu & Varona, 2017;Tamarit et al, 2014Tamarit et al, , 2022Tamarit et al, , 2023. Si bien, existe consenso en que el CENDOJ contiene la mayoría de las sentencias dictadas por las Audiencias Provinciales (Stancu & Varona, 2017;Tamarit et al, 2014Tamarit et al, , 2022Tamarit et al, , 2023.…”

“…Es más, esta dificultad se ha puesto de manifiesto en diversos estudios (Stancu & Varona, 2017;Tamarit et al, 2014Tamarit et al, , 2022Tamarit et al, , 2023. Si bien, existe consenso en que el CENDOJ contiene la mayoría de las sentencias dictadas por las Audiencias Provinciales (Stancu & Varona, 2017;Tamarit et al, 2014Tamarit et al, , 2022Tamarit et al, , 2023. Por otro lado, no existe un registro sistemático de los datos sociodemográficos de los implicados en el proceso.…”

Mengenali Institutional Betrayal Dalam Isu Kekerasan Seksual Di Institusi Pendidikan

“…yang merupakan orang yang dipercaya 2014). Dampak yang dialami korban juga bisa berupa PTSD atau bahkan hilangnya kepercayaan diri yang berakibat perusakan identitas (Fogler, Shipherd, Clarke, et al ;2008).…”

“…Ketika korban melapor dan mencari pertolongan ke institusi yang terlibat, pengurus institusi cenderung tidak memberikan bantuan yang tepat dan terkesan mengabaikan korban (Wolfe, Francis, Straatman, Anna-Lee ;2004). 2014).…”

Between Sanctity and Real Life: Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church in Spain

“…A study by Pereda and Segura (2021) reported 38 adults (25 men and 13 women) having experienced sexual abuse when aged under 18 by representatives of the Catholic Church. A study by Tamarit et al (2021), which collected data on court cases referring to CSA committed by priests, members of religious congregations or ministers in other religious institutions, reported a total of 33 abuse cases (28 within the Catholic Church), involving 84 victims (61% boys), with 51.5% (17) abusing one victim and 48.5% (16) abusing multiple victims (ranging from 2 to 10).…”