Survivors Of Abuse in Religion (SOAR)

Internet Support Groups

SOAROZ  (Australia)

Last updated: Monday August 06, 2007

The SOAR internet support groups function primarily through two anonymous mailing lists devoted to the discussion of sexual abuse by religious leaders, without regard to religion, country, denomination, gender or any other factor. They are only open to survivors and supporters of those abused by religious leaders - the lists do not accept abusers themselves. The SOAR list is predominantly American in membership, but welcomes members from all countries. SOAROZ is predominantly Australian in membership.  It arose from the needs of Australian victims to be able to share more specifically the problems they face in a culture which is still less willing to acknowledge clergy abuse than America.  The SOAR mailing lists are not moderated ie. posts to the list are not censored prior to circulation to list members. However, the lists have one or more mentors, whose job is to maintain a safe space for members to share. To aid in creating a safe space to share with others, all members of the mailing lists make a pledge to follow the ground rules.

Email is both a powerful and a limited form of communication. It is a powerful form of communication because survivors and supporters who have been isolated by distance and fear can now join with others in a safe, anonymous conversation, letting go of the pain, healing the soul. You can take the time to connect down to the deepest part of your soul, stay in that space and express it without distractions or deadlines. But it is also a limited form of communication because all body language, facial expressions, and tonal inflection are lost. We do not have immediate feedback on how the other person is reacting to our comments unless they post a reply message. For this reason, it is especially important to think before you react to another member's post.  If you feel hurt or attacked, please double-check before reacting in anger or hurt.

How the mailing list works

• ONLY people who have been added to the member list can send or receive SOAROZ group mail, or view the group online.
• When you join, you choose a nickname (alias) which will become your list identity. Nickname choices are subject to approval by the list mentors in order to avoid duplication and/or triggering references.
• RECEIVING MESSAGES: You can choose whether to receive individual posts to your email inbox, or to receive a digest (once or twice a day) of messages, or to read posts on the message board. You have the option whether to have your email address visible to other members or not.
• TO SEND A MESSAGE: Send your email to the address given to you when you join, or click on "reply" in a message to reply to it.

• Mailing List FAQ Please read the Frequently Asked Questions document
• Subscribe to SOAROZ  (Please read ground rules first)
• Unsubscribe from SOAROZ
• Send mail to the SOAROZ Mentor.

How safe is the mailing list?

What would prevent someone from getting into the group by making up a story? Are you wondering who might be spying on us/intruding/invading our healing space?

• When someone asks to join, they are asked to agree to abide by the mailing list groundrules. These groundrules help create a safe space for survivors and supporters to open up and share. All applicants must agree to abide by the groundrules to be added to the mailing list.
• The group mentors are survivors themselves and screen all applicants to the list. Not all are accepted. The mentors make a decision based on their knowledge of abuse issues and keeping in mind their overriding duty to keep the list as safe as humanly possible. 
• It is not possible for someone who is on the mailing list to get the email address of another person on the list, unless the address owner agrees.
• The mailing list is reasonably secure. Email is only totally secure when it is encrypted. In order to heal we must open up, which does involve risks. There is nothing stopping someone from making up a story and joining. The real security of the list comes from everyone being able to share anonymously.
  
  Now that you have a better understanding of how the SOAROZ mailing list works you can decide if it is secure enough for you. Other support websites can be found on the links page of http://www.clergyabuseaustralia.org

The SOAR and SOAROZ email lists grew out of SNAP - the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests - an American organisation. You may find other useful information on the SNAP Home Page.  This page is © 1997-2007. Please send your comments to the WebWoman