All the recent activity in the newspapers about adults in responsible positions who molest children in their care is and should be thought provoking. Because these stories continue to make news it is clear that the actions of these predators has not abated. Blaring headlines continue to generate a feeling of distrust for the integrity of institutions which have not protected our children. Victims who may or may not have remained silent over the years continue to suffer. Every time this becomes a subject of public debate, some long time predators are exposed but at the bottom of anyone’s caring list is the long line of victims who continue to suffer various forms of post traumatic stress because they re-live the events personal to their own lives.
Before this most recent spate of chatter in the news, I started writing *a story about the fallout of childhood sexual abuse. Although the story is a fiction, it contains elements of someone’s truth. I hope that those who read it will be able to know that they are not alone even though loneliness is the hallmark of keeping such secrets hidden. We don’t know what threats force children to lie about the abuse but that is another part of the story separate, but also ancillary to the effects of the actual abuse.
I hope to see the end of this predatory action on children.
What was done in the wake of other major well publicized events has been helpful but hardly seems to make a dent in the consciousness of predators past and present who are still out there. There is no group of survivors marching the streets in support of victims but there are tireless workers who try to help children of all ages, forever trapped in the mists of a murky childhood, struggling with normalcy as an adult, but wanting to see justice and an end to this disgusting criminal act.
*Fanfiction – Blunt Thou The Lion’s Paw
** Other real life stories available at Discover the Path – Women of Courage
Suspect, Love 