Confronting Men's Violence Against Women and Girls in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

An undercurrent of violence against women and girls (VAWG) exists in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church professes commitment to support victims of sexual abuse and its declared policy of zero tolerance, which mirrors the position of numerous religious organizations. These sentiments, while suitable for formal declarations, websites, and public addresses, stand in contrast to the Church's actions, which are not aligned with its professed Christian tenets.1 The church in actuality fails to encourage members to report abuse to legal authorities and does not train its leaders in appropriate response protocols.2 This article urges the Church to address the existing dissonance and align its actions with the policies it has formally established and its Christian doctrines and practices.3 As bell hooks poignantly articulates, the impact of patriarchy—manifested as male domination over women and children—constitutes a considerable obstacle to the experience of love.”4 Patriarchy does not align with Christ's construct of divine love.Violence against women and girls stands as a pervasive violation of human rights on a global scale, unfolding relentlessly each day in myriad manifestations. Defined by the United Nations, VAWG is “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering of women, including threats of such act, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”5 The repercussions of such brutality are profound, casting shadows of short-term and enduring physical, financial, and emotional tolls upon women and girls. The enormity of its impact, in the lives of individuals, family units, and communities, defies quantification. In secular and religious contexts, women or girls seeking protection from such harms find themselves caught in a patriarchal vortex of androcentric laws and policies and male leaders.6 I employ the term “vortex” to describe the victim's experience ensnared in a system that not only gaslights them but also subjects them to a violent, chaotic, and perilous environment. Within this tumultuous swirl, individuals find themselves disoriented and powerless, struggling to navigate a reality fraught with fear and unpredictability, where their capacity to influence their circumstances is profoundly limited. Victims who dare to speak the reality of their situation will be sucked into the vortex, equivalent to an act of suicide, or a cutting off of social and familial ties.7 Judith Herman, a leader in child sex abuse, asserts that the impact of the violence extends beyond the actions of perpetrators to bystanders and institutional enablers who perpetuate a social ecology of violence that is tolerated or rendered invisible.8This article delineates three major areas for reform. First, it advocates for legal changes in clergy-penitent laws.9 Second, it advocates for women's ministry, that female leaders minister to women and girls who experience VAWG, not male ecclesiastical leaders. Empowering women and girls through female-to-female alliances overcomes patriarchal vortexes and redresses power differentials, thereby facilitating access to essential support mechanisms.10 Third, it underscores the imperative for comprehensive education and training initiatives on ministerial and community levels. Specialized training is required for ministers to effectively provide counseling to both survivors and perpetrators.11 Training is also essential to identifying victim-perpetrator dynamics and behaviors.12 Community-level educational initiatives must encompass discussions on credibility issues and consent as a fundamental human right in intimate relationships. These measures are crucial in the efforts to prevent VAWG.My journey to initiate structural and policy changes within the Church commenced as a response to having been caught in the system. My life began in toxic circumstances, subjected to child sex abuse by both my father (former bishop, stake presidency counselor, high counselor, and current active member of the church) and my grandfather at a very young age. Struggling to stay afloat in the face of the relentless abuse, and enduring deep physical and emotional wounds, I observed daily others gliding by seemingly untouched by my turmoil.After college and a mission, a friend of my father, nine years older than myself, was introduced and we married. We had three children, and when my parents moved a good distance away and I began to feel safe, the unconscious buried rubble surfaced. Child sex abuse amnesia, a common symptom, eventually fades away, only to be relived again until the toxic waste is integrated. As symptoms surfaced, and love and support were needed, my husband's behaviors turned abusive, and a darker side revealed itself. The cycle of abuse continued. Amid the ensuing chaos, one of the children jumped ship, leading to the ultimate fracture of our family. I faced the daunting task of keeping my other two children afloat all the while my then-husband continued to abuse.In these circumstances, I was understandably desperate. I was joined in my fight to find a way out over a decade ago by my newly ordained stake president, David F. Holland. Many words of encouragement and blessings were offered, serving as beacons of hope amid the turmoil in my dire circumstances. Regrettably, President Holland's hands were tied at times, bound by protocol that constrained his ability to intervene due to the system and policies in the Church. Amid the bustling activities and responsibilities that demand attention for those living in comfort, Church leaders often remain mere bystanders. The institution becomes an enabler.Despite Holland's urgent pleas for my then-husband to cease his violence, he was indifferent to his entreaties. The realization sank in that no external intervention would come to my rescue. Overwhelmed by the physical and emotional toll of the ordeal, I wanted to just let go. My will to persevere waned in the wake of nursing deep wounds, trying to care for my children, and the continued abuse. Both body and spirit were shattered. The weight of the suffering was unbearable, overshadowed by a sense of hopelessness and helplessness.When I initially made my disclosure to my priesthood leaders, I was met with unbelief because my abusers were respected men in the Church community. I was stigmatized and labeled mentally ill by my community and by both of my perpetrators, who painted a very different picture by manipulating and controlling the narrative. According to Sarah Ullman, victims experience harmful reactions from both social networks and formal support sources in patriarchal societies.13 Due to all of this, I found it imperative to distance myself from my ward community to safeguard both my mental well-being and my spiritual convictions. It was only when another courageous victim disclosed that my experiences were acknowledged with the gravity they deserved. Holland took charge and assumed a proactive stance. He engaged a seasoned professional to conduct training for leaders, enlightening on the task of ministering to both victims and perpetrators and addressing the lacunae present in the Church instructional materials.In order to be taken seriously, I had to achieve incredible levels of credibility. It was not until my acceptance to Harvard and studying VAWG in a religious context; my involvement with the United Nations; and my audience with Pope Francis for the inaugural and subsequent events for the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence that my assertions were finally given serious consideration within my community. The fact that these credentials had made me more powerful, thus credible, speaks directly to the nature of the social dynamics and credibility issues. These prominent external affirmations served to dispel the unfounded notions of my supposed false allegations and “mental craziness,” instead illuminating the authenticity of my testimony regarding the harrowing reality of what had been done to me. Female voices are simply not believed when it comes to VAWG.14 Any woman or girl who comes forward about VAWG puts their own life and reputation at risk, not the perpetrators.Throughout these advocacy endeavors and openness about my past, I have had many conversations with survivors of abuse and have come to more fully understand that the struggle for validation, and the desire to have their injuries ministered to, is a shared experience among women and girls who have endured similar trauma in our Church communities. Yet trauma is not only inflicted by the actual perpetrators, but also by ecclesiastical leaders, institutional enablers, and their respective Church communities, due to no educational training on VAWG.15 Amos Guiora, an Israeli American professor of law specializing in institutional complicity, enabling culture, and sexual assault, refers to this phenomenon as the “armies of enablers.”16 Jeffrey C. Alexander, a sociology scholar at Yale University, asserts that traumas are socially constructed through interactions, cultural norms, and beliefs.17 This points to the fact that trauma extends beyond the individual experience and is deeply intertwined with the broader social environment.My experience reflected broader truths. Institutional religious organizations function in dual roles in relation to VAWG. They possess the capacity to serve as both a shield against and a conduit for the perpetuation of harm.18 Religious convictions have the potential to foster and and have the capacity to and that VAWG. patriarchal with power androcentric and within religious perpetuate the of religious are I to the in the Church's and and In this the imperative regarding the the its leaders, and its community have in addressing I made it out with my I as a in with other survivors of and child sex abuse, and with male to initiate My is that Christ women and girls. He has and He are not to Latter-day but a global According to the United Nations, sexual and violence is a global and a In a found that of women that they or a woman they has VAWG. in women that they that and physical abuse by has more in that sexual in public has found that than of women who experience violence of women who to family and and very to formal such as and than of those seeking report to the According to the World one in three women have been subjected to of violence by an intimate or or these of violence in the The World has that women are at of harm in intimate than the that is a to a Child at the of of men in the of men in the and of men in report that they have engaged in behaviors at in their that be as child sexual abuse The of VAWG is a global are that we face when seeking to understand the of the as it Latter-day Saints. are no actual task or training about and gender-based violence within the we find instead is a system constructed to the of the Church at the of victims due to existing and of The fact that we not VAWG is within the Church points directly to its culture, and In other is no to into these and to be this is a structural and in by Church in and which and power among men and According to such as both and the of social of of are of culture, which are in social and by their and a on social not be as of social they one of many to and the cultural of a community. These are not but are and by individuals within the in Church a in social in the of According to such are to the very and of power within a The than of the with its of women, an for all members of the Church women, and children be sources that the of the as they Latter-day Saints. They to Latter-day women and girls. In of the as members of the are to VAWG among Latter-day but they not provide an of what is in the Church. the provide a mere of the situation at In sexual violence is by male perpetrators the victim and more victims of sexual and sexual violence in are children, and they are by a family that in at a than the In the in was the is is the only for which is than the and this has been the for the all other of are Yet to the on and only of women report of sexual violence to law in This are not to the of These that of sexual violence are and that the and of these are not the Church to the of about the of VAWG by not or are other as of the that women and girls not often report their abuse is that they must report it to Female credibility issues are in patriarchal and alliances to be at the of this and ministers who training in the of consent of sexual violence disclosed by They these as of Church leading to an on measures than the and girls in the Church to be in due to a deeply and within the patriarchal Church culture, and of the structural issues that to the perpetuation of VAWG is the by which victims from the Church. ecclesiastical leaders are for women and girls seeking to report and in religious This is in with Church that women or girls in are to from their or stake In many the male ecclesiastical as is in a position to act he This is done through Church and the of his In the current the male ecclesiastical leader is also to the Church's to and ecclesiastical leaders and the to the leader the Church's the institution as its than the of the were the individuals in would have the ability to out directly for the and legal they this is not the of for men to Church leaders or not rights within the Church and legal or to the the leader from the with the victim is at his Church leaders often not with the victims about Church against the or their legal Victims seeking care are often in their well-being is current are not men and done against women, many and As has in of sexual These of are to women and girl in discussions had with seeking ecclesiastical leaders often one another by to or the ecclesiastical leader not or was on The own own is often against a prominent This institutional the victims in are no to these but are Sexual to the of through sexual asserts that while and is in the fight against VAWG, a more fundamental the and that foster the It is imperative to not only but also the social that perpetuate sexual violence against women and girls and to the of VAWG through structural and education in support to the in are essential of this given by the Church and sexual must we to those who have been in the the Church has not to this are areas where it The major for that we would address the way that clergy-penitent laws have to VAWG by not secular legal The that male ecclesiastical leaders and the Church have from in the of abuse of the is that clergy-penitent law and other legal for the institution and those ministering in ordained and clergy-penitent has the of enabling harm in of child sex have revealed the that these laws have In the report by a in the Church not report child sex abuse to secular He this on the of the Church's as by the law law in which has served as the Church's external legal The sexual abuse continued for over years while Church leaders were fully that it was and no were in for the bishop, the Church and the law the in the Church's to sexual violence in that beyond the individuals The by and regarding the legal the Church to than support In Church leaders the Church against a child sex abuse and to the These from over by the on the conduct of the of at the Church. over child sex abuse that had a that has the Church to of child sex abuse. This Church legal against the testimony in the victim's by clergy-penitent in the of his to the is that he was to out to to the victim and for their by a victims is institutional and have the potential to harm by the public disclosure and broader of while also serving as a shield for These measures an to perpetrators with in the that their actions will be from from the repercussions of their actions, such the of social to and religious actions the of perpetrators, in and thus the to the nature of these be it is imperative to that clergy-penitent laws in In a of events in the of the and of a that upon members equivalent legal as other of child abuse. This to where of abuse are disclosed a religious by a the to by the to church policies and legal that the an to that they report abuse from a this more He advocates for the of child sex abuse from the of that made must be in all of this and others that are more will the legal for victims and the ecclesiastical shield for the current of the Church is that victims of violence speak to their male or stake Church leaders a in this a of abuse, in an article in a Yale that often their experience of abuse often their This puts in the of is by the United of and religious such as and Yet for the are not to understand to their care to effectively to men are more likely to be women out to men for and protection against other men is and is as the protection are protection from men is as men are often to their find themselves in the patriarchal vortex and the of and harm these is a of about women's of the the reality of an testimony will often be because is a the to women Church leaders to such alliances would no stand in the way as a to credibility issues and to seeking from men when by a women this also a victim's access to and not only for but also children alliances among more protection and support to women, given that the of violence against women and girls is by This has been in the of the of the Violence and a on law at Harvard the social and will comprehensive education and training initiatives on ministerial and community levels are Specialized training is required for ministers to effectively provide counseling to both survivors and Training is also essential to identifying victim-perpetrator dynamics and Community-level educational initiatives must encompass discussions on credibility and consent as a fundamental human right in intimate relationships. These measures are crucial in the efforts to prevent of educational training a cultural training of ministers in addressing VAWG is not only in education such as that for but also within religious organizations. The Church is no It is imperative that training and education on this address victim-perpetrator which are tied to credibility issues In many cultural contexts, and are against female survivors who their with male these a will to both private and public against them by casting on the mental of the woman or This is as or professor of and and of the for Institutional as of perpetrators of sexual in response to for their stands for or and The or the the individual the and the roles of victim and such that the the victim and the the an An about serve to its In where perpetrators employ individuals in these are to to victims while This also for victims to The act of identifying and influence as a is also a of in the way that Church leaders these from ecclesiastical leaders be to a An ecclesiastical leader and will act on the Church's position as as his are often in in which the leader in position their is often on androcentric and Church that are not from and often and the of for the and the ability to the and regarding ability to and sexual abuse is such a and and not only physical and injuries but deeply spiritual and wounds, we must are ecclesiastical ministers not in to minister to victims and ministers act effectively harm when with such survivors are with the spiritual and issues of with their with Christ and as both are and the two of the Church. perpetrators are often in and against from one ward to another and stake their and women and girls are often Church such This is a institutional that is the done to when an act that or of have to address these issues by the In the of a a in ministering to of sexual as a Church we are to minister to a in which sexual trauma of one or another is must this In other this is a for a we from those who have through the imperative as it is for the institutional Church to train ecclesiastical leaders in to minister to injuries and victim-perpetrator behaviors in VAWG, changes are also to at the community as The of institutional involvement to more social on these issues and and the reality of our and individual experiences in Both victims and those them in shared must our of harm done in our very own by the men in our own Church as the the of women and to the of abuse have a and of In the words of an American and of the of In to and victims to and their their their their such be for to and not with what we would them to these are human to a violation of in to be as a common of and one that simply be The suffering and are of the and to be and to be They to have their and by speaks to both the of the sexual both in a of only be rendered in the not According to a and in sexual abuse, on keeping The of in the of and and is to we as survivors are to is that others are not to the of the upon by the very institution and men women and girls have will our own communities, and and such of sexual consent in intimate is both a human right and not fully because one be does not they have the right to demand or sex from their rights such as the on and the on the of against the of from sexual violence, and as as over own body and over the involvement in sexual with an intimate on consent is essential in the Church's patriarchal on a In with of at Harvard he has to education on sexual abuse into the in and to for a on this is leading to a that will VAWG The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day to the is a that is our own women and and communities. exists a patriarchal vortex that VAWG both in the institution and in Church enabling harms to a in both facilitating and issues credibility and alliances are of the patriarchal vortex in which women and girls find themselves the of ministering to women and girls who experience VAWG to women leaders is one of addressing such ministers and are and in VAWG. This must to the reality of VAWG in our education religious and our own must be It is essential to a that not only the of education but also the of the and policies that perpetuate VAWG within the patriarchal