Objectives: This course will teach students notions about signs, indicators, and the various consequences abuse can have on the victims, stressing the importance of accompanying victims on a holistic level. It will also familiarize students with the concept of secondary victims and the pastoral accompaniment, and bring students to reflect on pastoral ways they can assist victims.

Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, students will become aware of how the reality of abuse affects victims, secondary victims, safeguarding personnel, the church, and society. They will be able to meet a victim and react properly, assessing their feelings and attitudes. They will be able to describe the risk and protective factors in their cultures and to discover the available forms of (pastoral) assistance and therapy in their countries. They will come up with specific ways to pastorally care for victims and secondary victims. They will reflect on and become aware of the specific vulnerability for (sexual) abuse created by disability, migration, and armed conflicts.

Content : Signs and indicators of abuse, barriers to and aids for disclosure, relationship between the reality of abuse and the theological implications; importance of self-care with regard to emotion regulation and compassion fatigue; risk and protective factors in different cultures; forms of assistance and therapy for victims; pastoral accompaniment for victims and secondary victims.

Methodology: The course will combine lectures, readings, and seminar discussion.

Means of evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class participation and written papers.