The Religious Sector, Violence and Child Abuse - Webinar

Dates and times

• Part 1: Tuesday 28 November, 2023, 7-8:30pm

• Part 2: Tuesday 5 December, 2023, 7-9pm

Location

Online

Organised by

Safeguarding Children

Cost

$35

This two-part webinar series by Safeguarding Children explores the religious sector, violence, and child abuse. The first webinar explores spiritual abuse and religious grooming with the second webinar building on this to discuss the implications for policy and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Register for this event

Listing of training and other events does not constitute endorsement by the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse. Information is as provided by the organiser. For further information or queries about training or events, please contact the organiser using the links or contact details provided.

This is a two-part webinar series hosted on different days. Information on each webinar is below.

Part 1 – Understanding Spiritual Abuse and Religious Grooming

This webinar explores the unique role and mandate of the religious sector in preventing and addressing violence and child abuse – the potential to harness as well as the need to address barriers within religious settings which can perpetrate or enable such violence. This will include an introductory discussion on spiritual abuse and religious grooming – tools of power, control and manipulation used by perpetrators in religious settings which are often different from those used in secular settings. How these tools, combined with often religious institutional cultures of secrecy, systematic cover-ups, and widespread protection of those who abuse children are explored and implications for abuse prevention and intervention are introduced.

Part 2 – Implications for Policy and Practice

This webinar builds on webinar one and explores what is required of the New Zealand religious sector to harness their potential to help prevent and address violence and child abuse, including preventing spiritual abuse and religious grooming. This webinar will outline the need for religious institutions, communities and congregations to develop and implement safeguarding and child protection frameworks, and address institutional cultures and practices which can perpetuate violence and abuse. Policy and practice implications for the New Zealand government as well as the wider violence and child abuse prevention and intervention sector will be also be introduced.

Download flyer, PDF, here.

For all questions, contact the organiser here.