"When you finally reach the light you find it was within you all the time" - Charlene Smith

his site is intended primarily as a South African resource for parents of children sexually abused by clergy, for adult survivors of abuse by clergy, and for concerned members of faith communities.

It has been initiated by Krystyna Smith, a survivor of sex abuse in the church, with the assistance of Joan van Niekerk, well known children's rights advocate, and also the national co-ordinator of Childline in South Africa. 
We hope that you will find the site of use, and welcome constructive feedback and suggestions. We hope also that survivors might feel the site is an appropriate forum for their own stories and writing, submitting what they feel will be of value to others.

Start your journey through the website by using the navigation bar on the left. The website covers a number of topics as outlined below:

• (About Abuse by Clergy) offers a description of clergy sex abuse and its long term impact; subsections deal with both child and adult abuse.
• (Justice FAQ) introduces the need for justice, with practical advice on reporting abuse and laying charges, and answers to common questions.
• (Protocols and Tribunals) opens up some ideas for debate about the purpose and use of internal protocols that deal with cases of sexual offences or professional misconduct by religious leaders.
• (Community Response) discusses the reactions and responses of communities when cases of clergy sex abuse come to light
• ^NEW (WTTL Forum Network) A forum offering discussion boards, allowing for debate of topical issues, support groups and a chat facility for  members.
• (Survival & Healing)  offers advice and insight into the healing process.
• (Inspirational Writing) quotations and poems to inspire you
• ^NEW (Reccomended Reading) books about sexual abuse by clergy and sexual violence in general.
• (Legal Acts & Bills) relevant Acts of Parliament and other legal bills.
• (Links to Useful Sites) features links to support organisations.
• (Sexual Abuse in the News) features regularly updated news items of international and local interest relating to clergy sex abuse
• (Forest of Truth) invites you to join our initiative of planting trees in honour of survivors.