In Texas, the first of a series of cases is being tried involving an 11 y.o. girl raped by 20 men and boys, over a period of months. Some actually blame the girl. In NY, a 16 y.o. killed the 5 y.o. granddaughter of a woman who had been kind to him.
Little can be said in the face of such ignorance and evil.
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Filed under Child Abuse, Justice, Law, Sexual Abuse, Violence Against Women
More than 1200 cases of sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts have come to light. At times, the Boy Scouts failed to document abuse, allowing it to continue. In other cases, men identified as sex offenders — even convicted felons — were allowed to return to the Boy Scouts and resume predation. One such predator went on to molest over 100 boys.
That the Boy Scouts have issued an apology is laughable.
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Filed under Child Abuse, Justice, Sexual Abuse
The NCAA has sanctioned Penn State re: the Sandusky abuse scandal. The school has been fined the equivalent of annual gross revenue from the football program, has had its wins vacated from ’98-’11 and its football scholarship quota reduced (making the program less competitive).
Students seemed stunned by the penalties, an indication they have little comprehension of the lifelong problems Sandusky’s victims now confront.
The statue of coach Joe Paterno – around which his supporters rallied, despite Paterno’s involvement in the years long cover-up – has been removed.
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Filed under Child Abuse, Justice, Sexual Abuse
An internal investigation on Penn State’s reaction to abuse by Jerry Sandusky has reaffirmed that Joe Paterno and other officials chose to shield the school’s reputation, rather than the children abused there for over a decade.
Officials failed to comply with mandatory reporting requirements; their inaction facilitated the abuse.
Loyal fans have been hostile toward victims, as if their sole purpose in coming forward was to malign Paterno’s reputation. Handwritten notes and emails confirm that Paterno was aware of the abuse, and actively involved in the decision to cover it up.
That should tarnish his reputation.
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Filed under Abuse of Power, Child Abuse, Justice, Law, Sexual Abuse
Recent Pennsylvania verdicts re: the cover-up by Catholic Church officials of pedophile priests, and repeated betrayals of trust by a former Penn State assistant coach have put abuse in the headlines.
Raising public awareness is vital to the prevention of child abuse. So is public involvement.
Even as I write this, abuse continues. Locally, news reports indicate a 6 year old boy in the advanced stages of starvation when first hospitalized, was twice returned to the custody of the very parents who had neglected him.
As a community, we are responsible for the welfare of our children. However welcome guilty verdicts against predators may be, the criminal justice system can only seek to remedy past injury. Prevention is the ideal. No child should bear these scars.
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Filed under Abuse of Power, Child Abuse, Justice, Law, Neglect, Religion, Sexual Abuse
Former Penn State assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky has been found guilty of 45 of the 48 counts brought against him for having abused 10 boys over a period of 15 years, using his charity The Second Mile to trawl for victims.
One of Sandusky’s adopted children came forward to say he, too, was abused.
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Filed under Abuse of Power, Child Abuse, Justice, Law, Sexual Abuse
Msgr. William Lynn has been found guilty in Philadelphia of a single count of endangerment for the systematic cover-up by Catholic Church officials of pedophile priests.
Offending priests were deliberately transferred from one unknowing parish to another at the direction of now deceased Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.
The testimony by adult abuse survivors was wrenching. The verdict does not begin to offset their suffering, which continues to this day.
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Filed under Abuse of Power, Child Abuse, Justice, Law, Religion, Sexual Abuse
Philadelphia’s trial of Msgr. William Lynn for the systematic cover up by Catholic Church officials of pedophilia by priests continues.
The defense rests on two grounds: the advice of legal counsel that reporting to law enforcement was unnecessary, since the statute of limitations had run; and the orders of now deceased Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.
Of course, the Statute of Limitations had not yet run when many claims were initially made. Often, it was the delayed handling by church officials which caused the statute to run. Nor was there a re-examination of the issue, when the Statute of Limitations was extended by the legislature.
In fact, had the Catholic Church acted in the best interests of the victims, it could easily have waived the Statute of Limitations at any time.
As to the second ground, it was previously raised by Adolf Eichmann at the Nuremberg war crimes trials. He was “only following orders,” too.
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Filed under Abuse of Power, Child Abuse, Justice, Law, Religion, Sexual Abuse
A landmark case is being tried in Philadelphia with the purpose of holding accountable in the US for the first time a Roman Catholic Church official for his handling of the sex abuse complaints made against more than 60 priests.
The testimony being elicited after 8 years of investigation and 2 grand juries is as appalling as expected. Grammar school children raped, reports of abuse ignored for decades, the transfer of known offenders from one parish to the next.
Child molesters returned to work with children, monsters provided fresh hunting grounds.
The church abandoned the most vulnerable of its charges. What justice may come out of this is long, long overdue.
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Filed under Abuse of Power, Child Abuse, Justice, Law, Religion, Sexual Abuse
Outside Houston, two children – a 5 year old boy and 11 year old girl – have been found living in an abandoned school bus. The bus is fitted with running water, heat, electricity, and plumbing. It sits on property covered in garbage.
The children were left in the care of an aunt more than a year ago, when their parents were convicted of fraud. It is unclear whether this aunt shared the bus, or merely stopped by with food. The children seem never to have been schooled, and have no shoes.
Psychologists call a child isolated from human contact from a young age a feral or wild child. Such children are deprived of loving care and exposure to ordinary social behavior. Many experience severe abuse before being discarded.
The terms “feral” and “wild” are an insult to animals everywhere. Only humans would do this to their children.
FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: http://www.alawyersprayers.com
Filed under Child Abuse, Justice, Law, Neglect, Physical Abuse
A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse and More 