Opinion: Don’t Be an Enabler to Child Abuse

Occasionally, we will link to media opinions on aspects of adoption and child welfare that you may never have thought about. This opinion piece by adoptee and child abuse survivor Michael Reagan explains ten things to do to respond to child abuse. See the full opinion here.

His entire commentary and explanations are a must-read. We have pasted one section, his 10 points, below:

“1. If you see an act of child abuse in progress, step in and STOP IT. I have to wonder why the grad assistant who witnessed the rape felt he only had to report it to someone. Why didn’t he jump in, knock Sandusky on his butt, and protect the child? If you see a child being raped by an adult, please have the guts and good sense to intervene.

2. If a child tells you he or she is being abused, don’t panic, don’t act shocked. Make sure the child feels supported and protected. Say, “You did the right thing in telling me.”

3. Believe the child. Even if the offender is “good old Uncle Charlie,” tell the child, “I believe you.” It takes a courage for kids to speak up because they fear they won’t be believed. Kids need to know you’re on their side, and they almost never imagine sex acts unless they’ve experienced them.

4. Tell the child that he or she is not bad. Say, “He knew better; you didn’t know. We’ll make sure he can’t touch you again.”

5. Focus on the child’s needs. Don’t think about the reputation of any individual or organization. The moment you shift your focus off of what’s best for the child, you’re on the wrong side of the issue.

6. Don’t confront the offender in front of the child. Keep adult discussions away from the child. Kids need to feel protected. They don’t need to be upset, disturbed, and frightened.

7. Report the crime to the police. Law enforcement agencies in your area have trained investigators who will talk with you and the child, and who know exactly how best to handle the situation.

And don’t you dare tell me that you don’t have the heart to have “good old Uncle Charlie” arrested. If Uncle Charlie is molesting a child, protect that child!

I’ve heard too many horror stories of people who protected “good old Uncle Charlie” or “good old Coach Sandusky” instead of protecting children. You must have absolute moral clarity: Child molesters belong in jail where they can’t hurt children. If you don’t call the police, then you are an accomplice and no better than a molester yourself.

8. If the molester is a member of the clergy, DO NOT report the abuse to church officials. If the molester is a coach or teacher, DO NOT report the abuse to the school authorities. Some churches and organizations worry more about lawsuits and bad publicity than about kids. Just call the police.

9. Don’t call Child Protective Services—investigating crimes is not the function of CPS. If the police determine that CPS should be involved, they will make that decision.

Don’t let the predator talk you out calling the police. Most predators are amazingly persuasive—that’s how they entice their victims, and that’s how they get people to cover for them instead of reporting them. Don’t be taken in by a charming predator.

10. After you call the police, call the ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4ACHILD (1-800-422-4453). The ChildHelp counselor will listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and direct you to local support services for the child.”

Michael’s Abuse From A Trusted Adult and His Faith Journey

Read about it here.

Two Points of Clarification on Sandusky

There are two points that I don’t want to get lost in this case. Michael mentions “You took away the rapist’s keys and barred him from the facility—but you didn’t call the police.” Though the locker room keys were taken away in 2002, he remained a Professor Emeritus of physical education. The definition of  Emeritus is “retired or honorably discharged from full-time work, but retaining one’s title on an honorary basis ”  After all that Penn State officials knew, they allowed him to be known as  honorably discharged or retired instead of forced out! The question remains as to how many times did he come on campus since 2002 in THAT capacity, be it to guest lecture, train, fundraise, and/or schmooze with alumni. He was not banned from the campus until last weekend.

Secondly, one of Rally’s pet peeves in this case is that Mike McQueary is often just identified as a “grad assistant” without stating his name, including in this opinion, and that wrongly softens and excuses his role. He was a former Penn State football player, former grad assistant, CURRENT assistant coach. And he was 28 years old at the time of the 2002 incident.

REFORM Puzzle Piece