OK-- Victims urge church group to act in Oklahoma sex case
For immediate release: Friday, June 19
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
We’re glad an Oklahoma child molester has been convicted but now his church colleagues must aggressively seek out others who saw, suspected, suffered or concealed his crimes.
Matthew Lane Durham, a missionary, has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting kids in Kenya. But we strongly suspect that others knew of or suspected his crimes and ignored or hid them. We urge the church agency that helped arrange his time in Africa to aggressively seek out others who may have been hurt by Durham.
Organizations that unintentionally help predators gain access to kids have a moral and a civic duty to do all they can to seek out and comfort those who are hurt by these predators. This is especially important in cases like this.
A judge will sentence Durham. It’s best if that judge has the most accurate knowledge possible about Durham’s crimes. So we urge Durham’s former church supervisors and colleagues to take every step possible to locate other victims and prod them to cooperate with the justice system.
And we hope the judge will put Durham behind bars for a long time so kids are safer.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
Jury convicts Oklahoma man of abusing children at Kenyan orphanage
Posted: Friday, June 19, 2015 12:40 pm
OKLAHOMA CITY — A jury has convicted an Oklahoma man of illicit sexual conduct with children at a Kenyan orphanage.
A federal jury has resumed its deliberations in the trial of an Oklahoma man charged with sexually abusing children at a Kenyan orphanage.
A second day of deliberations began Friday morning in the trial of 20-year-old Matthew Lane Durham, who is being represented by Enid attorney Stephen Jones. Durham has pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of sexual misconduct with children, including aggravated sexual abuse and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Prosecutors allege Durham targeted orphans while serving as a volunteer at the Upendo Children's Home in Nairobi, Kenya, between April and June 2014. The orphanage cares for . . .
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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