Last evening, Barbara Blaine and David Clohessy of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) were honored in a gala event in Los Angeles for their service to women and all those affected by the trauma of child sexual abuse. As recipients of the 2014 Global Women’s Rights Award, the Feminist Majority Foundation recognized their efforts on behalf of women and children in stemming the tide of sexual abuse by holding institutions like the Catholic Church accountable for protecting predators and child molesters.
In announcing the award the organization noted, “Barbara Blaine, David Clohessy and their organization SNAP are doing extraordinary work to hold the Catholic hierarchy responsible for covering up priests’ rape and sexual abuse of children. SNAP played a critical role in securing the recent UN Committee on the Rights of the Child investigation and subsequent report criticizing the Vatican’s record of protecting the abusers at the expense of their victims.”
In 1988, Barbara Blaine founded SNAP after surviving childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest. In 1992, Clohessy joined the cause and the two have been helping survivors recover and hold their abusers accountable for their actions. SNAP has always been about protecting the vulnerable, healing the wounded, and exposing the truth.
As a sexual abuse attorney and advocate for survivors, SNAP has been an invaluable voice in exposing the cover-ups of the Catholic Church. I’ve represented survivors of sexual abuse across the country and SNAP has supported the rights of survivors in every instance – not just Catholic survivors, but those abused by religious leaders in any denomination.
I am proud of the work Barbara and David have accomplished on behalf of SNAP and survivors everywhere. This recognition is well-deserved and I offer my congratulations and best wishes to them. Keep up the good work!