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
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?
Part One: Young Children and the Sixth Commandment It’s the juicy one: Thou shall not commit adultery. How do you teach the term adultery to young children? There are two ways: There is a guilt and sin-laden method that shames child victims of abuse into a lifetime of silence and self-loathing. It also silences witnesses and whistleblowers…Continue reading We can’t waste this teachable moment: How the teaching of one commandment silenced generations of sex abuse victims and what we can do to change it
Vice News has released a trailer for their upcoming documentary LOVE SERVE SURRENDER. The film tells the story of Jay Ram, a former Hilo-area farmer who fostered and adopted boys in California and Hawaii … and then sexually abused them. Because of Hawaii’s civil window, these boys—now men— have been able to expose Jay and…Continue reading Trailer: Documentary exposes Big Island abuser
A RetroReport/NYT short historical documentary on SNAP and the US victims’ rights movement. Even I got a lot of perspective: