A shocking investigation by the Illinois Attorney General has found that nearly 2,000 minors were sexually abused by Catholic priests in the state over 69 years, outlining the desperate need for trainings and resources to assist those victimized by abuse within the faith community. READ MORE
States weigh child abuse reporting vs. clergy’s duty of confidentiality States weigh child abuse reporting vs. clergy’s duty of confidentiality States weigh child abuse reporting vs. clergy’s duty of confidentiality States weigh child abuse reporting vs. clergy’s duty of confidentiality Zero Abuse Project staff speaks to the necessity of mandatory reporting in the faith community in a new story centering
In a new article revealing decades of abuse often enabled by other spiritual leaders within the faith community, Zero Abuse Project‘s Victor Vieth speaks about the ways in which purity culture and religious themes may be used as a means of normalizing and justifying the grooming patterns of an abuser. READ MORE
Governor Wes Moore has signed legislation which eliminates the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, effective October 1, 2023. The bill was signed days after the release of the Maryland Attorney General’s report documenting the sexual abuse of over 600 children by priests and others within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. READ MORE
Teams of law enforcement officers, child advocates, prosecuting attorneys, doctors, and others who investigate sex crimes against children received a special training from Zero Abuse Project’s signature forensic interview program, ChildFirst. The event was the first in-person version of this crucial training to happen in-person in Indiana since the pandemic began in 2020. READ MORE
Menlo Church leadership acknowledges abuse from decades ago A Menlo Park megachurch is apologizing for several instances of abuse from decades ago that “had not been addressed in a way that honored the survivors at the time” after information about them was unearthed in recent years and in the aftermath of a 2021 investigation by Zero Abuse Project. READ MORE
The team at Zero Abuse Project is excited to share our quarterly CAST newsletter!
This publication is a practical companion to our treatise on Child Statement and Forensic Interview Admissibility. The publication synthesizes case law, state statutes, and hearsay exceptions, into 11 basic strategies for prosecutors to admit forensic interviews and child statements into evidence.
This new publication explores the nuanced techniques necessary for cross-examination in child abuse cases. The guide provides 22 techniques split into four categories ranging from fundamental to advanced tactics. Each technique includes sample lines of questioning for easy adaptation by frontline prosecutors.
Ouachita Baptist University’s community & family services program in the Pruet School of Christian Studies and the Title IX department discusses the crucial need for hosting “Keeping Faith,” Zero Abuse Project’s signature faith-based course that empowers faith communities to recognize and respond to cases of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect, while providing details of the impact on
Zero Abuse Project CPO Victor Vieth authors this piece in the January/February issue of the Sexual Assault Report discussing the Southern Baptist Church, including an overview of the case against the SBC, failures of the investigation, and recommendations for reforms. Now in its 26th year of publication, Sexual Assault Report is a bimonthly report letter written for professionals working to prevent and prosecute
The 2nd annual CAST Impact Report is now available for review!
This scholarly publication will discuss how trauma informed care provides a framework for the use of child sexual abuse materials during a forensic interview. It further assists forensic interviewers in identifying alternatives to this potentially harmful practice.
Please join University of Illinois Springfield CAST instructor, Dr. Betsy Goulet, and Zero Abuse Project CAST Director Dr. Tyler Counsil, for the next AVA ACEs Health Champions Event, where they will explore CAST and its impact on child protection education.
The team at Zero Abuse Project is excited to share our quarterly CAST newsletter!
As court cases increasingly involve the use of digital evidence, the demand for experts who can evaluate how that evidence was collected and analyzed—and then explain that process to the court— has also grown. This article provides attorneys with a baseline understanding to help them better assess potential digital forensic experts.
This new publication from Zero Abuse Project discusses best practice and different modalities for conducting forensic interviews. We can no longer only consider single, traditional forensic interviews as best practice. The article will discuss three different options for conducting purposeful and legally defensible interviews, specifically follow-up interviews.
Trial exhibits can tell a story, compare and contrast, persuade, and help jurors reach judgments. This paper is how trial lawyers can show in order to tell.
The article provides practical tips for cross examining a defense expert called to critique the quality of a forensic interview. The importance of using the direct examination of the forensic interviewer to set up the eventual cross examination of the defense expert is also discussed.
Zero Abuse Project Senior Attorney Robert Peters discusses emerging trends in online enticement reports in this article covering The Wynona’s House Child Advocacy Center’s 2022 Training and Workshops on Child Maltreatment, featuring a keynote delivered by Zero Abuse Board of Directors member Mike Johnson. READ MORE
Our director of Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, Alison Feigh, alongside its founder, Patty Wetterling, are quoted in a new article from The Guardian covering the tragic epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous people, and the role of victim testimony in the subsequent investigations.
Zero Abuse Project, alongside partners from CAST collaborative organizations such as APSAC and the New York Foundling’s Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection, will be hosting a virtual faith leader’s conference on January 12, 2023 starting at 8 am CST. You can learn more about the event and sign up for it here. While this is naturally a
A local school is working to end the stigma surrounding childhood trauma. Jenilee Cousil, an art teacher at Washington High School, started the “Stigma Stoppers” club this year. “It is a pressing issue and it’s also personal. I know and I love people that have struggled with substance disorder and so it’s just very close to my heart and something
Dr. Pearl Berman, Child Advocacy and Adult Studies (CAAST) faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Immediate Past President of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence, or NPEIV, has acquired funding through a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Grant to create topical videos covering a wide variety of topics that may be beneficial to CAST faculty and students.
“Interviewing Lucas” is a case-study on polyvictimization that examines the importance of screening for all forms of maltreatment during child forensic interviews and highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to allegations of child maltreatment.
Zero Abuse Project is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to the elimination of child sexual abuse. Our programs are designed to provide training and education to professionals and students, and to help transform institutions to effectively prevent, recognize, and respond to child sexual abuse.
