Letter To The Editor: Child Sexual Abuse At Penn State

The fact that the Penn State sexual abuse case is being referred to by some people as a “sex scandal” is both inaccurate and a sad commentary about our society’s tendency to minimize sex crimes involving celebrities or beloved sports figures.

I urge everyone to read the grand jury testimony (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/documents/sandusky-grand-jury-report11052011.html) to gain a full understanding of what occurred. Yes it is disturbing, but it is something that we can’t afford to “look away” from as a society. Equally important, we need to learn to differentiate between a “sex scandal” involving consenting adults and “CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE” involving repeated, premeditated sexual attacks of children at the hands of a sexual predator.

This is not a sex scandal — It’s a sexual abuse scandal and a scandal on the conspiracy to cover up the abuse. Stop calling it a sex scandal. It is about an adult raping multiple children over decades. It’s about the leaders of an institution protecting the rapists instead of the victims. It’s about bystanders failing to step forward and stop abuse.

Victims not football — This is not about winning or losing a Saturday afternoon football game in Happy Valley. This is about numerous victims of child sexual abuse. We all must remember the victims, and how their lives were forever altered by the abuser, as well as the depth of the conspiracy to cover up the abuse by powerful people in a powerful institution. The story should be about those victims and how the public must demand that powerful institutions protect the victims ahead of abusers.

Bystanders must act — We must all make the pledge that when you see abuse taking place, you must do everything you can to stop it. We can’t afford to respond to sexual abuse in slow motion. We tell victims to tell and keep telling. Bystanders should heed the same rule, tell and keep telling until the abuse stops. Every one of us, no matter our position or our age, has a profound obligation to protect one another from sexual abuse. We have to protect the victims and not the powerful. If a bystander acted almost a decade ago, future victims would have been spared and help could have been given to previous victims.

Leaders must lead —The Penn State travesty, following on the heels of the Catholic Church sexual abuse debacle, has shown that a failure of leadership results in further abuse. If you are a leader of an institution, you must demonstrate zero tolerance of sexual abuse. The leadership of Penn State should have spoken to the student rallies Tuesday night to honor the victims, denounce sexual violence and spearhead a call for immediate bystander action when abusers harm others. Leadership can’t stand back and hope that something will end. If that is the course, as Penn State learned, abusers continue to abuse. Sexual predators have to be stopped as soon as possible and Institutional leaders must set the tone. They must hammer home the message that sexual abuse is wrong and it is a crime. They need to emphasize that helping victims and stopping perpetrators is an emergency and should be dealt with like one.

Be shocked, but not surprised — Abusers can be anyone and the vast majority of abuse cases are perpetrated by someone known to the victim. We must understand that the stranger rape scenario is not the norm.

Rape Crisis centers are here to help — Communities must utilize the services offered by rape crisis and advocacy organizations, such as Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center to help victims of sexual abuse recover and to work to prevent future abuse. Located at 4275 Old Grand Ave., Gurnee, IL, ZCenter provides survivors of sexual assault or abuse with comprehensive, confidential, services at no charge, including: medical and legal advocacy, emergency room and police sensitivity training, 24-hour crisis hotline and crisis intervention services, and counseling for both individuals and groups.

Our community education department provides prevention education to thousands of schoolchildren each year. To learn more about the services provided by and the volunteer opportunities available at Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, visit ZCenter.org or call 1-847-244-1187.

If you or someone you know needs help, call ZCenter’s 24-hour support line 1-847-872-7799.

By Torrie Flink, CEO
Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, Gurnee