Religion should never justify the maltreatment of a child
But it often does.
That’s why we’re here.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to raising awareness of how religious influence works to undermine laws that exist to protect children.
This occurs at all levels of government in the form of “religious exemptions” that create ironclad loopholes favoring religious belief over the health, safety, and well-being of young people.
WHAT IS RELIGIOUS CHILD MALTREATMENT?
Religious Child Maltreatment occurs when religious belief, doctrine, or practice are used to justify abuse or neglect of a child.
CHILD ABUSE IS ALREADY AGAINST THE LAW, SO WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?
In the United States, many laws exist specifically to protect children from harm like physical abuse, sexual assault, medical neglect, and even educational neglect by not sending your child to school. These are just a few obvious examples.
What’s not obvious is that many religious individuals and organizations—in both red and blue states—are exempt from prosecution if their actions defy those laws. In other words, if the harm is inherent to a religious tradition, if it takes place in a religious setting, or if it occurs on property owned by a religious organization, the law may allow it.
This is wrong. Child abuse is always harmful, so it should always be forbidden. But it’s not. Religiously justified harm will continue to be accommodated unless laws that protect children apply to everyone.
ARE CHILDREN NOT RAISED IN RELIGION AT RISK?
YES! And that’s why we’re here. Our mission is to raise awareness of just how common Religious Child Maltreatment is, and just how vulnerable any child or family can be.
Religious Child Maltreatment Happens in All Faiths
Statistics on child abuse in the U.S. are plentiful, but no research or data sets have narrowed the focus solely on religious settings.
Until now.
We’re in the process of creating an interactive heat map that will filter data by geographic metrics. It will be the only comprehensive source of reported incidents of religious child maltreatment across all faiths and belief systems in the U.S. This tool will be an essential contribution to child welfare.
