In the world of abuse in the church, it can often be overlooked that not all abuse, even sexual abuse, happens at the hands of men. Women can be sexual abusers, too.
I am linking to an article about a female abuser. This can happen with a woman in any position in the church, so it is important to remember that church protection policies need to apply to everyone, not just male leaders.
Filed under: abuse and the church, Abusive Leaders, child abuse, child sexual abuse, In the News - Abuse & the Church, sex abuse Tagged: | abuse and the church, abuse of power, church abuse, Clergy Abuse, clergy sex abuse, molestation, sexual abuse
I’m glad you posted this Danni.
Yes, females can be sexual abusers.
I know someone who, as a child, was sexually abused by her sister.
I also know someone who, as a child, was sexually abused by her mother. In her case the mother was the primary abuser, but the mother colluded with and organised many others (male and female) to abuse that girl, and one of those additional abusers was a clergyman. The organised abuse was connected to a satanic cult, of which the clergyman was a member.
Readers, I encourage you to seek safe counseling if this triggers memories for you.
Yes. My own molester was a female from church, so I know first hand just how real this is. And it is important to highlight it because, as hard as it can be for someone, especially a child, to grasp and communicate what has been done to them, it is even harder when it is female on female. A child has no way to understand what has happened, and most “awareness” training focuses on strangers and men. So that makes it even harder. I was in my late 20s before I had a name for what had happened to me – because I was completely unaware that it had the same name if it was done by a female, as it does if it is done by a male.
– Danni