NE- More child sexual abuse victims come forward
For immediate release: Thursday, October 02, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
A man who was convicted of child sex crimes in Nebraska is being sued for more such offenses in Connecticut. We are grateful to the brave survivors who have come forward and are demanding justice not just from the alleged perpetrator, but also from the religious organization.
Orlando Afanador, who is on the sex offender registry for sexually abusing a boy in Nebraska, allegedly abused at least 4 more children when he was an ordained minister with Jehovah’s Witnesses at the time of the abuse.
We are grateful that more victims have found the courage to speak up and expose a potentially dangerous individual and an organization that allegedly did not due their due diligence to keep children safe. We suspect that there are others in Nebraska and Connecticut who were assaulted by Afanador and are still suffering in silence, shame and self-blame. We hope they will find the courage to step forward, call police, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.
Jehovah’s Witness officials should immediately reach out to anyone else who may have been hurt by Afanador.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 23 years and have 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])
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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