True Justice For Child Sexual Abuse Survivors is Prevention
Posted June 28th, 2012 by Anika RahmanFor many parents, the recent media saturation of child sexual abuse cases – from Jerry Sandusky to Horace Mann to the Catholic cardinal’s aide – has prompted soul-searching about the people with whom our own children interact on a regular basis.
And it has elicited empathy for the families of the survivors, who struggle to regain a sense of normalcy amidst the devastation. As a mother myself, one of the most heart-wrenching interviews was with the mother of Victim 1 in the child sexual abuse trial against Sandusky, who detailed her son’s ongoing difficulty with his anger and disgust, despite counseling.
What’s clear is that, for survivors of child sexual abuse, a conviction doesn’t reverse the damage. Healing from child sexual abuse is a difficult journey that rarely culminates in a criminal justice response.
The best form of justice for child sexual abuse survivors is not an isolated offender’s conviction, but the increased awareness that leads parents to prioritize prevention. True justice for survivors would be the promise that no other child will endure those same horrors.
The prominence of these recent child sexual abuse cases presents an opportunity to channel our compassion for the survivors and concern for our communities into action. We can honor the survivors by advocating for prevention policies in the organizations in which our children learn and play. We can insist upon behavioral practices that limit opportunities for child sexual abuse to occur. And we can create family safety plans in our own homes, since children are most often sexually abused by someone they love and trust. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocates these and other strategies to prevent child sexual abuse.)
Justice is not served until we take collective responsibility to prevent it from happening again.
7 Comments
October 25, 2012 at 3:08 pm by William WhitworthHello,
I came across your blog and just wanted to reach out and see if you would do a blog about my story and cause. Yes, I am a male but I’m also a parent of a beautiful 2&1/2 little girl and seven year survivor of child sex molestation by an already convicted sex offender. What I didn’t know and what most americans and parents probaly don’t know is the facts about Megan’s Law that ONLY requires most sex offenders that committed their crimes after 1996 to register. So now I have and am becoming an advocate for awareness and policy change. If you would please consider writing more about my story of survival and awareness not only would I appereciate it, but hopefully many others as it would further educate your audience about Megan’s Law. Thanks so much and please feel free to contact me with any questions.
http://www.change.org/petitions/make-a-change-to-megan-s-law-require-all-sex-offenders-to-register
Best Regards,
William C. Whitworth
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Anita Reply:
October 30th, 2012 at 7:05 pm
Thank you for sharing your story and the link to your petition, William.
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Excellent post. I write frequently about what families can do to teach prevention skills in the home. These were my thoughts regarding justice, prevention and the Sandusky verdict:
http://blog.mindbodymama.com/2012/06/mind-body-mama-believing-children.html
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July 3, 2012 at 7:33 am by B. HenleyI agree, “Justice is not served until we take a collective responsibility to prevent it from happening again.”
These were my thought after the recent Sandusky verdict.
http://herewomentalk.com/lasting-thoughts
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July 2, 2012 at 3:10 pm by VagilantesThank you Anika for your thoughtful post. You concept of justice is spot on.
Stopping child sexual abuse is key to creating a more productive and peaceful society.
Let’s use this current high-tide of pedophile awareness to inform ourselves, and to teach children to protect themselves.
We have an opportunity now to do better than ever before.
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Anita Reply:
July 2nd, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Great article. Prevention should be our top goal! Please check out my website. My book made just for kids will help adults teach this lesson in an easy way. I want kids to have a voice and be able to speak up if they need help. “Don’t Be Scared To Tell”. If you’d like a review copy please contact me on my website with your info. Thanks again!
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