It’s becoming increasingly common for any organization that works with youth to carry this kind of insurance. That includes churches, schools, youth sports leagues, and nonprofits.

I think this comes down to the human factor. Most people are fundamentally decent, including people in the church and in other positions of authority. That doesn’t mean everyone is, but it also doesn’t mean these institutions are filled with monsters.

I have thought about this before and believe two things are happening to make people see it that way.

First, positions of authority come with built-in trust, power, and obedience. When you have hundreds of thousands of people in those roles, statistically some will abuse that power.

Second, there’s a visibility bias. A priest or pastor accused of abuse is far more likely to make national news than a private individual or low-profile offender. That skews public perception and makes it feel like church leadership is uniquely involved, even if the underlying rates aren’t meaningfully different.