MK forum

Hi, I'm new here, I hope I'm doing this right.

I grew up and was abused in SIL Philippines. I reported my childhood abuse to the SIL Child Safety Team in about 2011. They investigated my reports into three of my abusers in SIL. Neville Thomas, Wesley Churchill (the son of the same name as the father- the son is now "Win" Churchill) and Miss Penny Murphy, a long-term teacher at SIL Bagabag, Philippines. The Child Safety Team spent over 1,000 hours investigating my six hours of somewhat rushed verbal reports. They interviewed 72 people. They found other now-adults who had also been abused by these people. They concluded everything I said was true.

I have so much more to say about this. It is by no means finished. I do not have closure yet. I was just given this forum's address, and I've joined up and begun this discussion.

I'm so glad to see others here able to discuss the pain they've been through.

Catstiptoes.

Welcome, catstiptoes!

Thanks for joining the discussion.

So you are saying that SIL did things differently than what you are reading here?
That they affirmed your report?
And what did they do about it?

Hi mosquito bite, I love your name! )

SIL International now has a Child Safety Team who visits any person who reports to any SIL member in authority, that they experienced child abuse while within SIL anywhere in the world. The Child Safety Team is affiliated with other mission organisations. Each mission contributes members to the organisation who are then trained in receiving reports of child abuse, and investigating those reports, and delivering their findings.

In my case I reported to Wycliffe Australia, who notified the SIL International Child Safety Team. Then John Leverington from SIL and a Canadian woman from a different mission working in Malaysia I think, Valerie was her name, flew to Australia where I live and interviewed me. John spoke and Valerie typed as much as she was able of what we said. It took three two-hour meetings, one meeting on each main abuser, to get through the abuse I told them about. There was further abuse which I mentioned but didn't go into detail about- it was off the record. I just mentioned it so any other person coming forwards about that type of abuse, would have my validation. John and Valerie were very respectful of me. Two of the disclosure meetings I did in the presence of my psychologist. One in the presence of a nurse in the hospital I went into over that time to help me cope with the disclosing. John and Valerie also interviewed my mother and pastor and former child and adolescent psychiatrist and my psychologist on their own, plus others who were in the Philippines around the people who abused me at the same time I was.

Then John and other Child Safety Team members interviewed some people by phone and called a lot of people who had been around during the abuse. They interviewed people in person when those people requested that. They also uncovered other abuse to other kids from around my time in SIL Phils. I gave them no names of other victims during my interviews of disclosure with them. When all the interviews were done, the Child Safety Team looked at if they had evidence I told the truth or not. They concluded everything I said was true. They based this decision on what they could find out about my character, what symptoms of child abuse I had exhibited through childhood and adulthood, and what validation they got from others (each of my three main abusers had others come forward verifying they had also been abused similarly). Then they flew two Child Safety Team members to the two Nth American abusers of mine who had agreed to talk with them. They told those abusers briefly what I had reported about them and what validation others had given about my experiences. They told the abusers they found them guilty of these things. The past teacher admitted a problem with anger but was still very much in a mindset of blaming her anger on her students. The son of SIL Philippines members said he didn't remember much from back then, but with so many people accusing him of sexual and physical abuse, it was hard to deny it. The two Child Safety Team members also spoke to the head pastors of each of these abusers' churches to notify the pastor that these people had been found guilty by the SIL International Child Safety Team after their investigation into allegations they had abused me.

My third abuser, Neville Thomas, received a Registered Post letter from the Child Safety Team to say they were investigating some reports of things which happened around Neville's time in the Philippines, and they would like to meet with Neville and talk about his experiences and memories from there. Neville did not respond. The Child Safety Team took that as further evidence of Neville's guilt.

Police were notified. In none of the areas in Nth America were the police interested in the findings, as neither of the alleged abusers were working with children at that time.

In Australia is was only written into Federal Law that it was illegal for paedophilia to happen TO or BY an Australian, in 1991 or 1992. I returned from the Philippines in 1989. So I cannot take Neville Thomas to court in Australia, and as I am an Australian citizen I cannot take the two main North American abusers of mine to court in Australia either.

I will add before I take a break now:

-The SIL International Child Safety Team apologised for what happened to me, officially from SIL. They said it was their responsibility that I was abused as a child in their organisation.

-The SIL Child Safety Team seems to have no realistic idea of how much intensive psychotherapy and private hospital cover for hospitalisation a relating to extreme trauma responses, cost. They gave me $5000 for all my past therapy. It was costing me $10,000 a year just to see my psychologist. They offered up to $5,000 for a year of future therapy if I jumped through several hoops including giving them quarterly reports from my psychologist about how therapy is going and where it is headed. I found this too difficult in the state in of trauma I have been in. So I've never taken up their deal to get support for future therapy. They said I could apply for further funding beyond one year but no one had done that yet. I've been in intensive therapy now since I was 18 and was in hospital for 7 months not eating. I'm now 41 and seeing a psychologist once or twice a week and being hospitalised in a private psychiatric hospital at least three times a year, as a result of severe trauma from my extreme childhood abuse growing up in SIL Philippines. I'm on the Disability Support Pension. I think SIL should be paying for All my therapy to treat my extreme child abuse growing up in their organisation, when they have explicitly taken responsibility for what happened to me.

-Wycliffe Australia paid for three years of private hospital cover after my psychiatrist told them it was necessary. My brother and mother now pay for it. I can't afford to. I think SIL should be paying for All my private hospital cover whilst I'm still requiring it.

-I know two others who reported their abuse to SIL International's Child Safety Team, and the Child Safety Team also concluded they were telling the truth.

-I know two others who reported their abuse to SIL International's Child Safety Team and the Child Safety Team did Not find they were abused. For one they didn't believe her and for the other they said it didn't count as abuse. I find both of these conclusions to be cruel and untrue. I believe both of these people were telling the truth and were also abused. The one who the SIL Child Safety Team said wasn't telling the truth, is now taking her abuser to court in the USA, in Texas. The abuser is being housed by another SIL Phils member who apparently has protected alleged paedophiles before and knows which lawyers to get them. This makes me sick.

-I have so much more to share about SIL International and about Wycliffe Australia. Not good things.

Catstiptoes.

Thanks, Catstriptoes, I know SIL acts pretty quick. WE worked with them in Brazil. Thanks for sharing. I hope it helps you as you share with others that have gone through some of the same things.

Thank you very much, Catstiptoes.
It must be hard to write all this out again.
It sounds like SIL does at least get going on reports and begins to do something.
For the ones who are validated, that is something.
For the ones who were abused and not validated----more trauma.
But, as usual, not enough?
Please do share what you feel you need to.
There is a group of listening ears here who are supportive and compassionate---
And who know what you are talking about.
Yes, as parents of MKs, we plan to buzz n bite as long as it takes!

Catstiptoes, thank you for writing. I'm so sorry for what you endured and are enduring. I spent four years at an SIL school and know how it can happen. You are not alone. Here for you.

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Not good enough!

Absolutely not!

Catstiptoes I am so angry in reading your story. People who have not suffered trauma have no idea that it often lasts a life time. Just as you would not tell the diabetic after one year they no longer need insulin you don't tell a person suffering emotional trauma they will need no more therapy after a year. It is a mental condition, not controlled by the victim. Our mental health is no different than our physical health. We receive life long for care for high blood pressure, heart conditions, diabetes, and many other physical conditions. I am so sorry your mother and brother have to bear the financial responsibility for something they did not do. That is not fair. I know you will find understanding here on this site.

For the abusers in USA I suggest you file the form of abuse at http://www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form. At MK Safety Net we have found ICE to be very helpful. You can private message me if you have more questions.