Religious sexual violence, sometimes referred to as clergy abuse, is any act of sexual violence perpetrated by a religious leader. There are thousands of religions in the world, making it difficult to gauge the prevalence of religious sexual abuse.

Some individuals may weaponize a shared faith or take advantage of their position of power as a trusted spiritual or religious leader to perpetrate abuse. In certain religions and religious sects, sex is seen as shameful and the concept of virginity is tied to someone’s devotion to their higher power. Elements such as these can further complicate the feelings survivors have after abuse, make it harder to disclose or report, and interfere with a survivor’s relationship to their spiritual or religious beliefs.

It’s important to remember that individuals can continue to maintain their faith separate from those who abused them. Experiencing religious abuse doesn’t mean that religion is something harmful as a whole. Rather, it means that there are people who choose to weaponize religion to their own advantage. Religious abuse is never the victim-survivors fault and they deserve support, validation, and to rebuild their relationship with their beliefs.

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