VictimsSpeakDB.org Releases Comprehensive Study of Clergy Sex Abuse of Minors and Vulnerable Adults in Pennsylvania

VictimsSpeakDB.org has released a comprehensive study of clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania, including abuse data recently disclosed by a Pennsylvania Grand Jury.

SPRING VALLEY, NY, UNITED STATES, September 18, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- VictimsSpeakDB.org has released a comprehensive study of Catholic clergy abuse of minors and vulnerable adults in Pennsylvania. The SACCADAS DB (database) Profiler for the state of Pennsylvania can be viewed on the VictimsSpeak.org website. It can also be downloaded as a PDF file by clicking on the icon on the top left side of the page. The study of abuse in Pennsylvania can be viewed also on the VictimsSpeak.org website and downloaded as a PDF file by clicking on the icon on the top left side of the page. Following are its key findings:

• Of the 341 Pennsylvania clerics included in the clergy section of the SACCADAS (Survivor Accounts of Catholic Clergy Abuse, Denial, Accountability and Silence) database, 74 (22%) continued to abuse minors even after they had been identified as sex offenders. No bishop has resigned or was removed in Pennsylvania for covering up child abuse.
• The Church in Pennsylvania knew for at least three quarters of a century, as far back as the 1940s, that priests were abusing minors. For example, an adult male notified the Diocese of Pittsburg in 1944 of sex abuse by Father Joseph Ganter. It involved at least three boys aged 13 to 15. Ganter retired from the priesthood in 1964, two decades later. Neither the Church or Ganter’s bishop ever disciplined him or held him accountable for the sexual abuse of least seven (7) boys.
• The Harrisburg and Greensburg dioceses asked a Pennsylvania court in 2017 to stop a grand jury from investigating sex abuse allegations at six dioceses in Pennsylvania.
• Nearly all of the victims in Pennsylvania (97.4%) are over 29 years old (30+ years). Under current laws, they do not qualify to sue the Church civilly for the abuse they suffered. Expanding the time to come forward (statute of limitations) to age 50 could potentially leave over half the victims without recourse.
• Over 25% of the victims reported their abuse prior to 1990 and nearly half prior to Y2K. This is two years before the Spotlight Team at The Boston Globe made international headlines with revelations of pervasive abuse of minors in the Boston archdiocese. Had the bishops in Pennsylvania dealt with this problem as it arose, there would have been no need for Grand Jury investigations (there were four) in Pennsylvania.
• Nearly 28% (more than a quarter) of victims first reported their abuse in the 2000-2004 time period, coinciding with the Spotlight Team coverage of clergy abuse in Boston. Nearly three quarters of victims first reported their abuse in the 2000-2004 time period or before. In Pennsylvania, the peak decade of abuse was the 1980s. Prior to the 1990s, the number of victims who first reported their abuse is significantly lower than the number of victims who were last abused. After 1990, the opposite is true.
• Over 95% of the victims in Pennsylvania, according to the victims included in the SACCADAS database, were abused in the last century. Less than 5% were last abused after the beginning of Y2K.
• Former altar boys represented 1 out of 4 male victims.
• Over 12% of victims were plied with drugs or alcohol prior to their abuse. Almost 6% of victims were exposed to pornography prior to or as part of their abuse. About 2½% of victims were photographed pornographically.
• Over 7% of victims were molested by more than one cleric.
• Nearly 5% of victims contemplated suicide. Five (5) victims successfully committed suicide.
• Six (6) victims were disabled or mentally challenged.
• Over 16% of female victims were either raped or coerced into vaginal sex.
• Not a single female reported the use of condoms during the vaginal sex. Three (3) percent of females (4 girls) became pregnant.
• More than 13% of male victims claimed they were anally raped. Not a single male indicated the use of condoms during anal sex.
• Over 17% of victims claimed oral sex was involved, either as a giver or a receiver. This percentage is probably also understated. However, 58% of victims claimed the abuse included fondling/touching, including masturbation. This statistic is in line with other research.

In an effort to help victims better understand how and why their abuse was covered up for so long by the Church, VictimsSpeakDB.org has made arrangements with Amazon.com to offer, for a limited time, G.R. Pafumi's books about clergy abuse at substantially discounted prices. Between today, September 18th, the day the study is being released, until Tuesday September 25th, all four (4) of Mr. Pafumi's books will be available in Kindle format for $1.99 or $2.99 on Amazon.com. Anyone requiring a PDF copy should fill out the Contact Us form on the VictimsSpeakDB.org website.

G.R. Pafumi
VictimsSpeakDB.org
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