by Jetta Bernier, Executive Director of Massachusetts Citizens for Children, lead agency for the Enough Abuse Campaign
Details of Sam's* heart-wrenching story spill out in strings of voice messages he leaves on my office phone when he can't sleep from wondering how to prevent other kids from experiencing the trauma that ended his childhood long ago at age 7. His experience of rape by the man down the hall, the group home counselor and others, underscores how different reality is for those who believe we could fix this problem if only child victims would tell, and for those who as adult survivors of child rape understand why they often can't.
These differences are highlighted by the public's reaction to Senator Scott Brown's story of boyhood sexual abuse by a camp counselor. While praising him for the disclosure, many wonder why he didn't tell anyone at the time it happened or why he isn't naming his abuser now. In fact, the Boston Globe's April 23rd editorial ("Brown needn't say more") rightly supported the position that he should be left to deal with the trauma in his own way and in his own time. It went further, however, to capture a prevailing but flawed belief: "Camps, schools, and other institutions that work with young people would be safer places if more sexual abuse victims felt emboldened to tell their stories."
This focus on after-the-fact reporting places the burden of responsibility for preventing future sexual abuse on the small shoulders of child victims rather than on those of adults and communities where it belongs. It ignores the powerful forces that cripple the ability of many child victims to tell. Since most sexual abuse is committed by individuals within the child's family or extended circle of trust, disclosing abuse can be a complicated and scary option. Threats, shame, and blame are powerful tools that cunning abusers use with finesse to exact silence from their victims. For many children, denying the impact and seriousness of the trauma, often into adulthood, can seem like the best way to survive it. Waiting for child victims to come forward, therefore, cannot be the fix. Without solid efforts to prevent sexual abuse in the first place, we will never achieve the goals of safety and protection which are the right of every child and so fundamental to their healthy development and psychological well-being, both as children and as adults.
When victims do tell, institutions often do not know how best to respond. The recent case involving sexual abuse of an 8-year old Brockton student allegedly by a school tutor is instructive. The main reaction of these school officials has been a rush to correct backlogs in their CORI system. Since up to 90 percent of child rapists are never caught, relying on CORI to pronounce school workers "clean" should not boost anyone's confidence about safety. Those who commit sexual crimes against children are experts at fitting in, and many excel at creating a caring, trusting, and even socially charming persona. This cover allows them to groom their targeted victims, as well as parents, colleagues and the community. Once an abuser makes it past the hiring process, the guard is down and the prevailing attitude is that everyone on the inside is a safe person - only those on the outside could pose a potential risk.
CORI would not have revealed the crimes against children that spanned the 30-year career of a Maynard school employee. Nor would CORI have red-flagged the recent alleged abuse of children by a summer camp employee on the Cape, or the alleged abuse of children across decades by a former Children's Hospital pediatrician.
Establishing policies, practices and trainings aimed at preventing child sexual abuse and not simply reporting it after it's discovered, therefore, must be the priority for schools and youth-serving organizations. Most aren't clear about how to proceed. A guided policy assessment process, prevention trainings and technical assistance are available through the Enough Abuse Campaign, whose work has prompted federal CDC officials to call Massachusetts "…one of the first states in the nation to lead a trailblazing effort to prevent child sexual abuse by building a movement of concerned citizens, community by community.”
We are all deeply grateful when victims of child rape find the strength to name their abusers. However, the ultimate responsibility and power to change the culture in our communities and institutions that has allowed abusers to act with impunity for so long, remains squarely with us – the adults.
*Name has been changed.
*Name has been changed.
