News Story of the Day
12% of children in 'high-income' countries have endured abuse, inquiry told
The Hearld, June 1, 2017
More than one in eight children in well-off countries around the world say they have experienced some form of sexual abuse in their lifetime, Scotland's child abuse inquiry has heard.
Even more - one in five - has been at the receiving end of violence from a parent or caregiver, the inquiry was told.
The hearing heard claims there is a "huge gap" between the cases known about by authorities and what children actually report when they are questioned in a confidential survey.
Here's What Happened to Father Maskell After 'The Keepers'
By Caitlin Busch, May 31, 2017, Inverse Entertainment
The "villain" of Netflix's docu-series doesn't get any less complicated after the final episode.
Child sex abuse survivor says Catholic Church’s ‘hush money’ settlement won’t ease horrifying nightmares of assault
By Kenneth Lovett, Stephen Rex Brown, Reuven Blau, May 30, 2017, New York Daily News
When Peter Marghella hurt his ribs wrestling with some friends at summer camp he had no idea it would change his life forever.
Australia plans paedophile passport ban
May 30, 2017, BBC News
Convicted paedophiles would be denied passports in Australia under a "world-first" plan proposed by the government.
The proposal, to be introduced to parliament, would prohibit registered sex offenders from travelling overseas.
Pastor put on leave after concerns of interactions with youth
Valley News Live, May 29, 2017
When asked about the nature of the accusations against Father Feltman, a Fargo Diocese spokesperson said that any of those questions would have to be directed towards the Richland County Sheriff's office.
The spokesperson also couldn't say if there were similar claims made at Father Feltman's previous parishes.
Irish victim alleges abuse by Maskell
By May 28 2017, The Sunday Times
A potential Irish victim of Joseph Maskell, an American priest who fled to Co Wexford in the 1990s following allegations of sexual abuse in Baltimore, Maryland, has come forward after a Netflix documentary revealed his possible involvement in murder.
Maskell fled to Ireland in 1995 after US police uncovered a trove of incriminating documents, including psychological profiles of his victims, that he had buried in a Baltimore graveyard the previous year. While in Ireland he worked as a psychologist in private practice and with the local area health board.
Anthony Foster: campaigner for child sexual abuse victims dies
The chair of Australia’s child sex abuse royal commission has said he is “deeply saddened” by the death of tireless victims advocate Anthony Foster.
Foster, who became a relentless advocate after his daughters were raped by a priest, was reported to have died on Friday evening from a major stroke.
Foster and his wife, Chrissie, shared their torment to the media and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
From 'Spotlight' to 'Keepers,' Richard Sipe sees celibate priesthood as problem for the Catholic Church
By Dan Rodricks, The Baltimore Sun, May 25, 2017
Richard Sipe, the former priest who spent 25 years studying the sexual behavior of the Catholic clergy, appears in “The Keepers,” the Netflix documentary series about the unsolved murder of Sister Catherine Cesnick and the monstrous abuse of some of her students by the chaplain of a Baltimore high school in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Sipe is the bearded fellow with the cool eyeglasses in Episode 4.
A Benedictine monk and priest for 18 years, Sipe came to Baltimore to study counseling at the old Seton Psychiatric Institute. He left the priesthood at 38 and married a former Maryknoll sister. He practiced psychotherapy in Maryland before moving to California with his wife in the late 1990s.
Another Georgia Boy Scout leader sued for sex abuse
By Christian Boone, May 25, 2017, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s become a familiar narrative: Respected community leader, active in the Boy Scouts, accused of sexual abuse but shielded for decades from prosecution and exposure.
Ernest Boland, whose predatory behavior was detailed in so-called “perversion files” that the Boy Scouts of America maintained for decades to identify volunteers accused of child molestation, was named in a lawsuit filed this week by two former Scouts who say they were among his many victims. Filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, the suit comes with a little more than a month remaining on a special provision that extended the statute of limitations in Georgia for childhood victims of sexual abuse seeking damages.
Nun's 1969 cold case murder is kept alive by retired 'grandma Nancy Drews' and docu-series 'The Keepers'
By Amy Kaufman, May 24, 2017, LA Times
They call themselves retired grandma Nancy Drews. One is a former emergency room nurse, the other a longtime elementary school teacher.
They make notes on coffee filters instead of index cards and wear clam diggers and sensible sneakers.
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