Throughout North America, if not in many parts of the world,
the case of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky was followed closely. There
may well have been a sigh of relief at his conviction on 45 charges. Some will
think justice has been done and with Sandusky, maybe it has. But little such
satisfaction should exist.
The larger question is how does a Sandusky come to exist for
so long in society without intervention. His is hardly the first such case.
Indeed, in the same week that Sandusky was convicted, Monseigneur Lynn was
convicted in Philadelphia for assisting in the cover up of abuse by priests in
the Roman Catholic Church. CNN is reporting that Penn
State not only likely knew what he was doing but chose to not report it.
Then there are other cases in Canada such as Graham James
who sexually abused minor hockey players for years. There was the Mount Cashel
orphanage in Newfoundland where the Christian Brothers of Ireland physically
and sexually abused boys placed in their care. Canada also saw the rampant
abuse of children in the Residential Schools, with the last one closing as
recently as 1996. The impact on Aboriginal families in Canada was profound.
Many have yet to recover both from the abuse and the extensive fracturing of
family systems.
If society truly wishes to see the end of these horrific
stories of abuse, then it must be willing to open the proverbial Pandora’s Box
and talk about what has and is going on. Sandusky is a high profile case in
which some of his former victims found the strength to come forward and tell
their story. As so often happens, their disclosures come years after the abuse
occurred. Victims routinely fear disclosing because the perpetrators often occupy
positions of power over the child – be it a parent who threatens harm if they
disclose or a person in authority such as Sandusky whose position is such that
victims typically feel they will not be believed. Many victims mistakenly feel
that the abuse was somehow their own fault.
The recent report on the failure by the Boy Scouts of Canada
to properly address the issues of sexual abuse perpetrators amongst their midst
shows that one of the solutions is better institutional policies and responses.
Without them, sexual abusers remain hidden to carry on.
Secrecy is one of the most potent tools that abusers have in
order to keep abusing. To change this,
we need to allow children to tell their story with confidence that they will be
believed. But we also need institutions that are willing to hear those children.
Most children who are being abused will not have their
situation brought to anyone’s attention. Thus, it is up to ordinary Canadians to
decide that abuse should stop and be willing to speak up when they see it.
Failure to do so, is to give it tacit approval.
Cases like Sandusky serve a purpose. They create
conversation and awareness. These high profile cases are rare. It is the far
less visible cases that require us to act. Sandusky could get away with it
because, like so many abusers, he was in a position of power. Why are we so
willing to turn a blind eye to such people whether they be coaches, priests,
teachers or other professionals and carers for children? The tide will start to
turn against sexual abuse when we call out the powerful people in children’s
lives who break the trust granted them with our children.
As Eldridge Cleaver said, you are either part of the problem
or part of the solution. Become part of the solution. As a nation, we need to
raise awareness of the impact of abuse and help to create solutions. We can
stop abuse by supporting families so that their children are safe. Families
that need help will need to be able to find it in communities across the
country. If abuse occurs outside the family, we can make it safe for our
children to tell. You can do this by hearing the voices of children and making
sure that a child who discloses is given a safe place to tell their story. You
might be that person.
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