Only humanists can stop religious child abuse and neglect

This speaker participated in our 2019 Conference. Learn more about our 2023 conference speakers here.

Rice University

Friday, June 7, 2019
2:00pm-2:30pm

According to a survey by the Child-Friendly Faith Project, humanists and the nonreligious are most bothered by the fact that people use religion to justify the abuse and neglect of children. Yet many humanists aren’t sure how to attack the issue or they get sidetracked by discussions about religion itself. Janet Heimlich’s talk will define religious child maltreatment, identify the warning signs, and provide clear-cut ways that humanists can help protect children from religious maltreatment and serve survivors.

Janet Heimlich

Janet Heimlich is the author of Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment, the first book to take a comprehensive look at the issue of faith-based child abuse and neglect. She is the founder of the Child-Friendly Faith Project, a national nonprofit organization that raises awareness of child maltreatment enabled by religious belief, doctrine, and practice. She also sits on the board of Foundation Beyond Belief and co-hosts the podcast, “Parenting Beyond Belief.” Prior to being a child advocate, Janet was a freelance reporter and writer for National Public Radio and notable publications, work for which she won 10 journalism awards and honorable mentions. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her teenage daughter.

Twitter: @chfriendlyfaith
Facebook: facebook.com/ChildFriendlyFaithProject/
Email: jheimlich@childfriendlyfaith.org
Website: childfriendlyfaith.org