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If you were sexually abused as a child by a priest, deacon or any other member of the Catholic Church, you are not alone. We are here to help you. Please fill out our confidential online contact form or call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 and an Alaska Sexual Abuse Lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your possible case. Help is available nationwide. There is no cost to investigate and there are no legal fees unless you receive financial compensation. Making the call is sometimes the hardest step, but it is often a necessary step on the road to healing. Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Alaska
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Please call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our confidential contact form and a lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your case. Alaska Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Alaska
SURVIVORS NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED BY PRIESTS
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, known by the acronym SNAP, was founded in 1988 by Barbara Blaine. Blaine was the victim of sexual abuse when she was in the eighth grade in Toledo, Ohio, by a priest who was one of her teachers at the Catholic school she attended. After receiving no help from the bishop of Toledo, Barbara turned to other sexual abuse survivors in the hopes that they could help one another. In 1988, a network of approximately two dozen victims was established, and they held their first SNAP meeting in Chicago, Illinois, in 1991.
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By 1992, SNAP began to recognize patterns with which church officials reacted after made aware of allegations of sexual abuse. Victims would often receive no more than a written apology or promises that the abuser would no longer work in the ministry, and rarely were there admissions of knowledge of other victims. In November of 1992, members of SNAP attended a meeting with the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. Only three bishops agreed to the meeting after an initial refusal, but they promised to take into consideration what they learned from hearing the personal stories of abuse from SNAP members. At a scheduled SNAP listening session in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the spring of 1993, no bishops were in attendance.
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It is the oldest and largest group for the sexual abuse victims of priests and other church employees, and its two primary goals are to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded. SNAP hosts support groups in more than 60 cities in the United States, and they offer support through a hotline, email, and conversations with survivors.
Alaska Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer
The group is an advocate for statute of limitations reform to allow for abusers to be held responsible for their actions in criminal and civil cases, and they also advocate stronger laws to protect children. Another of SNAP’s goals is to expose abusers and the church leaders who have shielded them and enabled their abuse.
Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Alaska
SNAP held their first national press conference in 1993, and interest in the group grew exponentially after the Boston Globe exposé in 2002, and SNAP opened its national office in Chicago in 2003. SNAP created branches for victims of other religious groups, non-religious groups, and for victims in other geographical regions. SNAP counts among its members retired Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Gumbleton was a victim of abuse while in the seminary, and, in 2007, he was asked to resign from his position due to his participation in SNAP’s efforts to extend the statute of limitations in sex abuse cases in Ohio in 2006.
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