KOMU
June 10, 2009
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COLUMBIA - Survivors of sexual abuse speak up as Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests forms its new chapter in Mid-Missouri.
Survivors of sexual abuse met June 9th to share their stories at the inaugural meeting of the Mid-Missouri Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests.
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SNAP is an all-volunteer organization that supports survivors of sexual abuse by authority figures. The national network of over 9,000 members also advocates for causes such as increasing the statute of limitations for sex crimes and identifying alleged predators on Roman Catholic Church websites.
Don Asbee joined SNAP in 2000 and says the network, along with therapy, has helped him cope with the psychological scars left by childhood sexual abuse by his priest.
He says before SNAP, "It was hard to imagine that anyone else went through the same horror." Now, Asbee speaks out to show other survivors that they aren't alone. "The only way to stop childhood abuse is to come forward and say, 'This is what happened.'"
SNAP investigates on-going and potential cases of sexual abuse by authority figures. Spokesperson Michael Wegs says they also want to work to prevent future abuses by authority figures such as religious leaders, teachers, and law enforcement.
Mid-Missouri's first meeting took place at the offices of John Small, Ph.D. a former priest and psychologist. Smith volunteers his therapy services to sexual abuse survivors out of what he calls a "special obligation" to help those traumatized by clergy.
"Because these were my brothers and sisters, the priests and nuns who did this stuff, anybody in that situation can come in, and I will not charge them," he says. That's very important to me."
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