My sister wrote a great post about reporting sexual abuse in Christian communities, how the problem continues to this day, and her perspective on the abuse we witnessed at the boarding school for missionary kids we attended in the early nineties. Here’s a snippet, to read the full thing click here:
When I was 9 years old, my family moved to South America as short-term missionaries (a 2-3 year commitment) with New Tribes Missions, where my parents taught at a NTM boarding school. While much of our experience was wonderful, the psychological, physical and spiritual abuse at the school was shocking. My parents were labeled trouble-makers for voicing concerns and reporting abuse, and ultimately they chose not to continue as career missionaries under the circumstances. In addition to stunningly abusive corporal punishment (i.e. “swats” with a large wooden board, with holes drilled in it, administered gleefully by a bully of a principal), there were three men, that I know of, sent home for sexually abusing children – just during that three year span of time. Sent home, but not reported to law officials or even to their own churches. Just sent away to plug into other ministries with children.
Matthew McNutt 