New reports suggest that Catholic Church sex abuse cases are becoming more common in light of the widespread attention on the issue.

Recently, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection released their 2018 annual report on the Church’s implementation of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”. This report showed that there was a significant increase in reported Catholic Church sex abuse cases.

From July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, there were reportedly 1,455 allegations of sexual abuse brought forward by 1,385 adults. This figure reportedly represents an increase of 693 allegations from the year before.

How is the Law Changing to Help Victims?

“Victims are coming forward now because of real progress by secular authorities,” said the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, according to AP. “Lawmakers are increasingly getting rid of archaic, predator-friendly laws and 16 attorneys general have launched investigations, so many victims are feeling hopeful.”

At the state level, laws are changing to allow victims more time to pursue litigation, including the extension of statutes of limitations as well as the opening of lookback windows. Lookback windows vary in length from state to state, but they allow victims to file claims that had once been barred by expired statutes of limitations.

The increase in Catholic Church sex abuse allegations has been matched by a 14 percent increase in spending when it comes to victim payments and preventative measures. During this period, groups reportedly spent $301.6 million on these efforts, doubling the amount spent on the same issues in 2014.

What Recourse Do Victims Have?

According to the report, the increase in allegations is tied to the opportunities for victims to recover compensation and gain emotional resolution. In addition to an increased focus on sex abuse issued by the church, states like New York are implementing new victim compensation programs.

“While it is unfortunate that it took such grave sins and crimes to spur action, as Catholics, we are grateful that God can bring good out of such evils,” the report stated. “However, there remains work to be done.”

In New York, the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program provides an avenue for victims of Catholic Church sexual abuse to recover compensation from the Archdiocese of New York. The program is administered by Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille Biros, two experienced mediators.

The program benefits individuals who bring sexual abuse allegations against the Archdiocese of New York. In order to file a claim with the program, individuals were required to complete their registration for Phase II by Nov. 1, 2017. The deadline for filing a Phase II claim with the program was Apr. 15, 2018.

By April 10, more than 200 claims had been filed under the program. More than 170 of these claims had resulted in victim compensation, per lohud.com.

The church had no say in the final decisions made by administrators, including how much each claimant received or passing judgement on their allegations. Instead, that role was taken up by Feinberg and Biros as independent parties.

Receiving payment from a church victim compensation program like the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program often means that victims cannot pursue further legal action against the church. However, receiving payment does not require victims to maintain confidentiality regarding their experiences, meaning they are free to go forward and talk about their abuse in the future.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.