The three companies that insure a majority of Protestant churches say they typically receive upward of 260 reports a year of children younger than 18 being sexually abused by members of the clergy, church staff members, volunteers or congregants.The figures released offer a glimpse into what has long been a difficult phenomenon to detail: the frequency of sexual abuse in Protestant congregations.
Religious groups and victims’ supporters have been keenly interested in the figure since the Roman Catholic sexual-abuse crisis erupted five years ago. The church has said it has recorded 13,000 credible accusations against Catholic clergymen since 1950.
Protestants’ numbers are harder to come by and sketchier because the denominations are less centralized than the Catholic Church. Many congregations are independent, making reporting even more difficult.
Some of the numbers are from three insurers: the Church Mutual Insurance Company, the GuideOne Insurance Company and the Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company.
Together, they insure 165,495 churches and worship centers — mostly Protestant congregations — for liability against child sexual abuse and other sexual misconduct. They also insure more than 5,500 religious schools, camps and other organizations.
Church Mutual reported an average of 100 sexual abuse cases a year involving minors over the last 10 years. GuideOne said it had received an average of 160 reports a year for the last 20 years.
Brotherhood Mutual reported an average of 73 reports of child sexual abuse and other sexual misconduct a year for the last 15 years. Brotherhood does not specify which victims are younger than 18, so it is impossible to accurately add that to the total cases.
The companies did not produce supporting documentation or a way to determine the reports’ credibility.
Reports of abuse do not mean guilt and do not necessarily result in financial awards, the companies said.
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