ASI Community Gathering – Preventing Sexual Misconduct in Spiritual Communities
Carol Merchasin spoke to us on these four topics, and also offered opportunities for questions and discussion:
Power, consent and the law
Coercive tactics of abusers
What every organization needs to prevent sexual misconduct
Recent cases against spiritual organizations and their leader
CAROL MERCHASIN is an attorney who leads a practice group litigating sexual misconduct in religious, faith-based and spiritual communities at McAllister Olivarius. She was previously a partner in the Philadelphia office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and director of Morgan Lewis Resources, where she conducted dozens of workplace investigations and taught investigative techniques to human resource professionals at many Fortune 50 companies.
Chapters:
00:00:00 – Introduction to Carol and her perspective on abuse of power in spiritual contexts
00:02:24 – My Journey as a Lawyer Investigating Sexual Misconduct
00:05:13 – Investigating Sexual Misconduct in Spiritual Communities
00:08:13 – Understanding Consent in Spiritual Communities
00:11:59 – Liability for Sexual Assault in Spiritual Communities
00:15:29 – Understanding Sexual Assault and Consent
00:19:03 – Sexual Harassment and Organizational Negligence
00:22:27 – The Federal Sex Trafficking Law
00:25:49 – Manipulation and Coercion within Organizations
00:29:00 – Individual Justice and the Broken Criminal Justice System
00:32:08 – Recognizing False Light in Spiritual Communities
00:34:55 – Criteria for False Accusations
00:37:45 – Defamation and Whistleblowers
00:40:30 – Differences between Sexual Abuse in Spiritual and Corporate America
00:44:23 – Consent, Teachings, and Sexual Misconduct
00:48:22 – Policies and Processes for Addressing Human Trafficking
00:50:58 – Cult-Like Behavior and Psychological Shift
00:53:41 – Creating and Enforcing Community Policies
00:56:20 – Thoughtful Reporting Process
00:59:18 – Recourse for Abuse in Psychedelic Therapy Relationships
01:03:15 – Red Flags and Trauma Survivors
01:06:24 – Policy Considerations for Preventing Sexual Misconduct
01:08:47 – The Nuance of Teacher-Student Relationships
01:10:46 – Policies for Maintaining Decorum
01:12:32 – Preventing Child Molestation
01:15:03 – Consent and Rules in Communities and Workplaces
01:16:39 – Managing Relationships with Students
01:18:30 – Hypocrisy in Celibacy and Exposing Corruption
01:21:11 – Potential Legal Issues with Nondisclosure Agreements
01:23:05 – Survivor Support and Legal Advocacy
01:26:16 – Upholding the Teachings
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