Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawyers MD
At Cohen & Cohen, our Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawyers MD families trust knows that clergy abuse happens at an alarming rate. Insitutions of religious practices may become grounds of opportunity for victims to be groomed in a setting where there is a sense of false trust. Our team is experienced in handling cases where victims of clergy abuse file action against the religious leader and institution. We are aware of how devastating sexual abuse can be on a person, and how hard they may have to fight to overcome these heinous acts (if they ever do recover at all). The tragic effects on the victim can be life-long and may require support from doctors and therapists to manage.
What To Do If Your Child is Not Acting Like Themselves
There are many reasons why our children may start to not act like themselves. Maybe they are just going through a tough time as many growing young adults do sometimes, or there could be something sinister occurring that they are too afraid to share with others. Priests, reverends, ministers, rabbies, and other clergy members may commit sexual abuse behind closed doors where parents are not around. Children may not realize what is happening to them or are too afraid of not being believed, so they don’t say anything.
If your child is showing the following behaviors, it is possible that they have been the victim of sexual abuse by a religious leader and need prompt intervention from our Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawyers in Maryland to help stop it from happening again:
- Exhibiting sadness and depression that is unusual for them
- Withdrawing from hobbies that they normally participate in
- Spending more time with a religious leader without family present
- Distancing themselves from friends and family
- Using drugs and/or alcohol
- Thoughts of hurting themselves or committing suicide
- Attempting acts of a sexual nature on other children
- Aggressive behavior, particularly when someone invades their personal space
- Unexplained weight gain or loss
- Losing friends and not socializing
For Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse
If you are an adult and were the victim of religious leader sexual abuse as a child or young adult, you may still have the chance to seek justice through filing a lawsuit against the individual and/or the institution. The church may be included in your lawsuit if you feel as though they should have known about this person and prevented the abuse you and likely other children had to endure.
If you want to know your options in pursuing justice for mistreatment at a church or religious institution, then call our law firm immediately. At Cohen & Cohen, our Maryland Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawyers are ready to take your call and provide a free initial consultation, so call as soon as possible to get started.
