Christian summer camp 'rebuked' girls who reported assault and told them to 'forgive' assailant: report
An explosive new report in USA Today about allegations of sexual abuse at a Kanakuk Kamp in Branson, Missouri claims that staff members at the Christian summer camp berated female campers who reported sexual assault.
According to the report, four girls went to a counselor back in 2016 to report that they had been assaulted by a male camper, only to be told to stand down from their allegations.
What's more, one of the girls told USA Today, they were told it was time to forgive their assailant even though he had not been punished for his actions.
"We believe in salvation, we don’t believe in punishment, Jesus forgives, and we are going to forgive the camper,” said the girl in summarizing the camp director's reaction. “We’re going to help him through his problems.”
The report goes on to detail how this was part of a pattern where camp staffers "repeatedly disregarded red flags and prioritized ministering to those accused of wrongdoing, instead of seeking justice for victims."
This is all despite the fact that Kanakuk had vowed to reform after the 2009 arrest of a camp director, Peter Newman, who was charged with abusing multiple children.
In that case, the camp also ignored years' worth of warning signs about abuse allegations.
"Documents Kanakuk released during civil court proceedings show camp leaders were made aware of Newman’s nudity with children and other inappropriate behavior on multiple occasions from 1999 until his confession in 2009," writes USA Today. "Former Kanakuk staff interviewed for this story, including a supervisor who recommended Newman be fired in 2003, say those complaints were repeatedly excused and dismissed."
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