CHICAGO (IL)
The Bulletin
By Manya A. Brachear / Chicago Tribune (MCT)
Published: June 22. 2013
CHICAGO — They followed their parents to remote regions of the world to preach the Gospel. But in recent years, dozens of adults, known in evangelical Christian circles as “MKs,” or missionary kids, have come forward to report decades-old abuse at the hands of other missionary families or boarding school staff.
These children suffered, advocates say, either in silence out of respect for their parents’ work or because their cries for help were ignored. But years later, as adults, they have coalesced into a national movement that is calling on the more than 200 evangelical mission agencies to address past physical and sexual abuse and help keep the next generation of missionary kids out of harm’s way.
“I don’t know of one case where the person bringing a case was welcomed and listened to and dealt with appropriately,” said the Rev. Rich Darr, a Methodist pastor in Park Ridge, Ill., and founder of the victim-advocacy group MK Safety Net. “All we want is for the church to be church. I see progress, but it is maddeningly slow.”
Evangelical mission agencies have only recently taken action, prompted by victims who started speaking up in greater numbers after Roman Catholic Church leaders began addressing their scandal more than a decade ago.
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