1) Call the cops, not your college president. There has been a ton of press about the problem of sexual assaults on campus. Recent government intervention—telling universities that they must have better “policies” and “procedures” to handle the crime—is ALL wrong. Why? Check out this article from (the most unlikely of places) the Harvard Gazette.…Continue reading Two parenting must reads
I teased last week that I had secured an agent for THE WELL-ARMORED CHILD. Now that the paperwork is signed and the deal is sealed, I am very excited to disclose the big news that Katie Reed at Andrea Hurst and Associates Literary Management (knows a good thing when she sees it and) is representing my parents’ guide…Continue reading Katie Reed at Andrea Hurst agrees to represent THE WELL-ARMORED CHILD
Even $5 can make a huge difference. I have often mentioned my volunteer work with SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. They are the nation’s largest and oldest support group for adult survivors who were sexually abused as children in religious and institutional settings. In the past few years, their mission has…Continue reading Indiegogo campaign helps survivors expand support groups
I am very excited to announce that I have found a literary agent for THE WELL-ARMORED CHILD. Since I haven’t “signed on the dotted line” yet, I’ll keep the name under wraps. Besides, everyone loves a little suspense. It builds character. And yeah … I’m excited.
The big discussion at the 2014 SNAP conference was “everybody’s favorite pontiff,” Pope Francis. Journalist Jason Berry—who faced raised eyebrows for earlier comments criticizing SNAP’s methods and “skillset“—told the group at his conference speech that SNAP should work strategically to “get a place at the table” and negotiate with the Vatican. (Note: Berry did apologize to the larger…Continue reading Just because they shout the loudest, doesn’t mean they’re right
I know it’s been a little quiet here at The Worthy Adversary. I have been pounding away at the manuscript for The Well-Armored Child, and it’s summer, so there’s not a lot of quiet time around the house. But things have not been quiet in the Archdiocese of Hagatna, Guam. And every time I think that things…Continue reading Wandering Wadeson: A banned priest is exposed
If Pope Francis were truly sorry for the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic church, he’s take a gander at a little Catholic diocese is California, where a cleric found guilty of abuse in a civil trial is still a powerful priest. Here’s the situation: Fresno priest Eric Swearingen was recently appointed the pastor of a Visalia,…Continue reading Pope Francis, Eric Swearingen and another failure of “Zero Tolerance”
Grooming is a predator’s “ticket” to your child. It is the careful means by which a predator befriends, flatters, builds trust, removes inhibitions, and blurs sexual and body boundaries in order to make a child an “easy” target for abuse—a child who does not fight back and is far less likely to report. Grooming is…Continue reading What is “grooming” and how do child predators target children?
This blog has long rallied against the problem of the cover-up of sexual abuse in public schools. Unfortunately, the victims in these cases—when they are ready and able to come forward and get accountability— usually don’t have criminal and civil rights to expose the abuse. As a result, victims and the public are seldom, if…Continue reading The Best Revolutions Begin With One Small Action
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie just signed a law that extends Hawaii’s two-year civil window for sex abuse victims. But there’s more: victims in public schools are NOW eligible for accountability under the new law. For the first time, sex offenders in public schools and the people who covered up for them—including powerful unions and other gov’t…Continue reading Big News: Hawaii Civil Window for child sex abuse victims EXTENDED; Includes public schools
**Update** Thanks Glenn Reynolds for the INSTALANCHE! This press release crossed my desk this morning. Apparently, the White House and the US Department of Education didn’t check to make sure that their “model” program knew how to report suspected abuse. As I have noted before, child-on-child abuse is just as damaging as any other kind…Continue reading Lawsuit: White House “Model” program didn’t report child sex abuse
St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson has a lesson for all of us, and I don’t think it’s the lesson he intended. The situation: When asked by victims’ attorney Jeff Anderson in a recent deposition if he knew in the 1984 that child sex abuse was a crime, Carlson responded, “I’m not sure if I did or…Continue reading A bishop’s “epic fail” is a lesson to all of us: How to report abuse
Yesterday, attorneys for victims of child sexual abuse in Minnesota and Missouri released a recent sworn deposition of St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson. In the deposition, which can be read here and viewed in excerpts below, Carlson states 193 times that he “does not remember” various incidents regarding the sexual abuse of children. But…Continue reading Carlson plays the memory card … and loses
Last week, Pope Francis sacked his entire Vatican “watchdog” board, replacing them with an international “who’s who” list of financial reform and investigation gurus. One of the names on the list surprised me: Juan Zarate. Zarate shot to prominence as the member of George Bush’s Treasury Department. He was a tenacious investigator who went after…Continue reading Vetting and the board of the Vatican Bank
I have written on this subject before. But today’s story out of Sacramento is more tragic and upsetting. The mother of an eight-year-old sodomy victim has filed a lawsuit against the mobile home park where the crime happened in 2013. She charges that the management of Sacramento’s Park Royal Estates Mobile Home Park knew that a 15-year-old boy…Continue reading When a child is abused … by another child
It’s been an interesting week: Ricardo “Richard” Aldana is goin’ to the pokey Former JSerra High School teacher Richard Aldana was convicted on three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child. The victim was a 14-year-old student. Aldana faces up to eight years in jail. JSerra is an independent (not owned by the Diocese…Continue reading Friday Round-up: Aldana, Adrian, Arizona, and the AG
One of the most important things I teach parents about empowering children against abuse is: “no secrets.” Yesterday I was reminded about how important it is to REINFORCE this lesson as children get older. Although the following story does not involve abuse, it shows how easy it is for a child to keep a secret with a “trusted…Continue reading No secrets: It’s easy for kids to keep promises … for the wrong people
This past Sunday, I had a bit of an epiphany. I was getting ready to receive an award for my work on behalf of SNAP for creating awareness for support groups. The organization honoring us—SHARE! The Self Help and Recovery Exchange—is an awesome non-profit that provides more than 140 support groups a week, helps people in crisis…Continue reading It all started with a support group
A little backwater college in Michigan will give you all the proof you need. You would think that in the middle of a national scandal surrounding sexual assaults on campus that colleges would take the time to remove faculty members who are convicted or admitted child sex offenders. But not Michigan’s Adrian College. Little do the parents…Continue reading Need more proof that colleges can’t investigate sex abuse?
Last month, I received a very lovely rejection letter from a well-respected New York agent who had asked to review the entire proposal for THE WELL-ARMORED CHILD. She liked the book, loved the writing, but told me that she just didn’t think the market for the book was “robust” enough. A story yesterday on CNN.com…Continue reading Think that parents don’t want a “toolkit” book to prevent abuse? Think again