Goals
Church Wide Changes May Include:
- Train ALL church leaders in Abuse Awareness Skills.
- Call a "Community Liason" in every ward to facilitate relationships with local Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault organizations or assign this duty to a member of the Relief Society Presidency.
- Have regular lessons on abuse in every axillary, including Youth, Relief Society and Elder's Quorum.
- Hold an Abuse Awareness Event in every stake, periodically.
- Display hotlines to Domestic Abuse/Sexual Assault resources in every LDS meetinghouse.
- Assign a member to serve in a "Resource Advocate" role or calling in every ward.
- Ask the "Resource Advocate" sit in Bishop interviews.
- Encourage open dialog about abuse within lessons and meetings.
- Open a hotline for members to call to report "rogue" bishops or unethical or abusive church leaders.
- Create an unbiased internal affairs group within the LDS church system, but that operates independent of priesthood authority.
- Include definitive information on Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Abuse in ALL handbooks.
- Consult with victims in order to assess repentance of perpetrator in certain cases.
- Immediate revocation of abuser's temple recommend and release from church calling, unless not desired by victim.
- Posting informational hotlines to abuse organizations in all restrooms of LDS meetinghouses.
- Eliminate from lessons or church materials, anything that assigns blame to victims of abuse.
- Create a clear and safe path of recourse for victims to address abuse of power and authority among church leaders.
- End one-on-one interviews with youth and children.
- Remove sexually explicit questions in interviews with children and youth.
Local Ward and Stake Changes May Include:
- Set appropriate boundaries for ward member interviews.
- Encourage axillary presidents to incorporate lessons on abuse, effective coping mechanisms, healthy boundaries, therapeutic communication, and power imbalances.
- End one on one interviews with children and youth.
- Remove sexually explicit questions in interviews with children and youth.
- Encourage all adults to bring a trusted friend or advocate into any interview or meeting with a church leader.
- Train parents in Abuse Awareness skills.
Individual Efforts May Include:
- Fill out one of the form letters to send in to your local leaders,
- Formulate and implement your own family boundaries and share them with your leaders.
- Teach a lesson on abuse, healthy boundaries, effective coping mechanisms, therapeutic communication and/or power imbalances.