Working together to end domestic violence and clergy abuse in church communities
For the peace, unity and purity of Christ’s church
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.”
NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
Hours: 24/7. Languages: English, Spanish and 200+ through interpretation service
800-799-7233
SMS: Text START to 88788
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The Presbyterian Advocacy Coalition provides all victim services at no cost to abuse survivors. Therefore we depend on donations to continue our work.
Donations may be sent via debit/credit by clicking on the donations button.
Or mail your donation to:
Presbyterian Advocacy Coalition
PO Box 502
Union, ME 04862
The Presbyterian Advocacy Coalition is a 501c3 nonprofit.
The Hidden Risk of Abuse
Why abuse victims often face arrest, prosecution, and loss of child custody
by Leah Mitchell
Shauna knew her husband Scott had a drug problem. But that was only one of many things about him that she could not control. Married when she was barely sixteen and now with two small children, Shauna had no idea how to cope with her husband’s increasing abuse of her. Sometimes he was violent and raging, and she worried he would kill her. Sometimes he kept her awake hours into the night with his drug-fueled rants, screaming and pounding on the walls. She was terrified.
Shauna had grown up in a deeply devout household in rural Alabama. Her grandfather built the church she attended. Her first inclination was to take the problem to her pastor and elders. They seemed concerned, but ultimately dismissed it. Scott had not cheated on her, as far as anyone knew. They told her to stay, to be patient, and to pray for him.
“They told me a story,” Shauna relates, “of a woman whose husband tried to stab her to death, but when she cried out to God, the knife became dull and wouldn’t pierce her skin. They said if I had faith like that, I’d be okay.”
Shauna stayed.
And she was there the night her husband was arrested for manufacturing drugs. So were her two small daughters. Police shrugged off Shauna’s protests that she didn’t know the extent of her husband’s drug activities. She was arrested alongside him. Her daughters were taken into state custody and placed in foster care. While Shauna sat in jail, her parental rights were terminated. Her daughters were placed for adoption. She has not seen her children since the day she was arrested.
Although Shauna’s story is extreme, it is not isolated. Abusers are self-centered, power-hungry, with delusions of grandeur and entitlement. They often have active addictions. All of these traits make them far more likely to involve themselves in fraud, illegal drugs, and other crimes. Incarceration of abused women is common, as they are frequently caught up in crimes of their abusers.
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