National--Colleges spend millions on sex misdeeds
For immediate release: Tuesday, March 29
Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, national president member of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747)
Colleges are spending “millions to hire lawyers, investigators, case workers, survivor advocates, peer counselors, workshop leaders and other officials to deal with increasing numbers of (sex abuse and harassment) complaints,” reports the New York Times.
We are thrilled by this news. What could be better for school officials to spend money on than the safety of students and staff?
The Times reports that it’s hard to calculate the cost of Title IX compliance at colleges. It’s even tougher, however, to calculate the costs of sex crimes and sexual misdeeds. Those include both “coping” costs –like medicine and therapy for deeply wounded young people – and the far more common and ultimately hurtful costs – like devastated psyches, addictions, self-destructive behaviors, shattered self-confidence and lost earnings.
In short, we’ll never know how many promising young lives are radically derailed because of rape, harassment and other sexual misconduct on college campuses. It’s long past time for school officials to work much harder to prevent sexual misdeeds and respond appropriately when they are reported.
The complexities of (sex crimes and harassment) have been “wrenching for students, faculty members and administrators,” the newspaper reports. We are sure that’s true. We’re equally sure, however, these complexities are crucial to address. And we’re grateful that, largely because of federal pressure, they are being addressed, albeit sometimes imperfectly.
(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])
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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