Mormon families who tried to expose cases of sexual abuse within their communities have alleged they were ‘silenced’ and threatened with disciplinary action by church leaders, DailyMail.com can reveal.

In one instance, two Idaho members claim they were warned they could be punished after the pair alerted others in their congregation to the fact that their former bishop faced child sex abuse charges dating back 10 years.

In another case in Minnesota, a church member and social worker claims he was stripped of his positions within the church after he spoke out about a registered sex offender who had been placed in a leadership position.

On both occasions, the dissidents felt compelled to raise the alarm after church leaders allegedly kept the abuse under wraps.