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Accusations of Abuse in
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The Press
June 3, 2003
Sex abuse trust funds running out
by David Courtney
Funding
for the country's only trust supporting male victims of sexual abuse will end
in three weeks.
The charity, Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust, supports the bulk of the men
with claims of sexual abuse against brothers from the St John of God Order's
former
The Christchurch-based trust works with 225 male victims of sexual abuse in
It has been rejected by three previous sources of funding, and is waiting to
hear from another six sources on its fate.
Ken Clearwater, the trust's sole worker, said it was frightening to think what
would happen to the men he saw if the trust did not continue.
"These men are going to be left in the lurch, it is only now they are
beginning to come forward. Where will they turn for support?" Mr
Clearwater said.
He said the trust required a minimum of $65,000 a year to survive.
Ideally it needed $95,000 so another worker could be employed to deal with the
growing workload.
As well as working with men in the community, Mr Clearwater also works with men
in prison.
A client of the trust, and one of the men who suffered abuse by the St John of
God Order, said without it he would have been lost.
"Ken has been an absolute godsend. He's put his heart and soul into it and
helped so many people," he said.
He said the trust was needed now more than ever as more and more male victims
of sexual abuse came forward to seek help.
Christchurch Central MP Tim Barnett said the group had received emergency
funding to keep going last year, and he hoped funding could again be found to
keep it going. "It is unthinkable that it should stop ... I'll move heaven
and earth to help keep it going."