Sexual Abuse
The Catholic church needs to get clearer on who it serves. The latest story out of the Philadelphia area has 21 priests suspended and as many as 37 additional with credible sexual abuse allegations remaining in active ministry positions. There are too many mixed messages coming from the Catholic Church. They come out and condemn abuse by priests, but at the same time seem to spend an equal if not larger amount of energy protecting the church entity. Does the church serve itself, or is the church in service to millions who believe in the Catholic Church? The reality is often both, and this is where the problem lies.
Protect the Catholic Church
I’m not an expert in Papal Law but from what I have read, much of it is geared toward protecting the institution of the church. This is changing so they do get points for that, but it seem to get used at the convenience of church, and often to the disadvantage of it’s most vulnerable members. The church needs to adopt a zero tolerance for abuse policy. Immediate removal from service during any period of investigation, and permanent removal from the church for any convictions. I’m sure I’m missing the finer points, and conditions for circumstances, etc. but you get the point. They need to be specific so everyone knows what their position is. There is way to much ambiguity betweens words and actions in the Catholic Church. This just leaves the public wondering who their church serves, and eventually leads to a church which serves no one.
Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.
Parenting, Sexual Abuse
On Saturday mornings I tend to browse Hulu.com for movies that look interesting that I might have missed in the theater. This morning something with Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman jumped out at me. I think I was pulled in by the mystery element and it’s tropical setting. If it had said sex offender stalks children in Puerto Rico, I probably would have passed. but anyway I got sucked into this who dun-it.
A Different Perspective
This remake of a French film follows a night of interrogation of a prominent lawyer accused of raping and murdering two young girls. Anyone who has had their child molested will be a little uncomfortable watching this movie. There are lots of twists and turns and the question of who is guilty and who is innocent isn’t addressed until the very end. And even then the lines are blurry. I hate to leave you with a cliff hanger, but I don’t want to spoil the movie for you.
It’s worth an hour and fifty one minutes of your life. If for no other reason than to remind us that what we see in front of us is not always the truth. A lot of parents spend too much time beating themselves up over what they didn’t see. All your instincts and senses can tell you one thing, and you can still be wrong. It just means we are only human. Sometimes we just need a reminder.
Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual assault is the only crime where victims are often blamed for the crime. There are an assortment of reasons for this. Largely it is a cultural fear and a way of saying “This couldn’t happen to me” . Therefore it must be the victim’s fault. Human trafficking gets the same reaction, but it goes a bit further in this case.
Bias
Even for people who view sexual assault victims as victims, the term “prostitution” carries it’s own cultural biases. In most cases the reality is that they started out as one in the same. We generally wouldn’t think of jailing a sexual assault victim, but this is usually the fate that ultimately awaits those involved in prostitution. In this case not only is the abuse orchestrated, it is a source of profit for those who facilitate the process. The number of teenage girls who find themselves in this situation is in the tens of thousands.
Watch CNN’s “Selling the Girl Next Door,” at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET Sunday, the culmination of a yearlong investigation into the devastating realities of the business of underage sex.
Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.
Sexual Abuse
What if there were more woman priests? Clergy of all denominations are included in the ranks of sexual offenders, but the Catholic Church has a unique characteristic which also magnifies the issue. It is an gender specific organization. Gender exclusive organizations such as fraternities, gentleman’s clubs, sports teams, some military units, etc. often exhibit behaviors that would not exist in a co-ed environment. Integration of woman, as equals, in any organization provides balance which might not exist otherwise. So why not have women priests?
Accountability
The executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference had an answer to the problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. “We believe that if women had a say in the church, if there was more accountability and more transparency, [then] the men would have been held more accountable.”
This is one of those changes that would be good for other reasons as well. Unfortunately, like many things that make sense. They take far to long to implement.
Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.
Sexual Abuse
Having spent many years in intelligence I think I can safely say that the new TSA procedures are silly as well as offensive. The sad part is so many resources will be used in this full frontal security measure, that a real threat will likely come in through the back door. Be sure to voice your concerns to whoever will listen.
‘Humiliated’: Female passenger subjected to patdown ‘because her sanitary towel showed up on body scanner’
DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 8:50 PM on 26th November 2010
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333432/Humiliated-Female-passenger-subjected-patdown-sanitary-towel-showed-body-scanner.html
- * Ordeal brought back memories of previous sex assault
- * Doctor warns agents’ gloves could spread infections
- * Obama: I understand passengers’ anger at patdowns
What’s the TSA Doing?
A female passenger has claimed that she was assaulted by TSA agents when she was ordered to be patted down because her sanitary towel showed up on the body scanner.
The woman was wearing a flannel panty liner, that evidently aroused suspicion, causing her to endure what she described as a ‘horrible’ experience.
Humiliated by her experience, the unidentified Army vet wrote to women’s health company Gladrags to detail what happened.
Red flag: A woman has claimed she was ordered t have an invasive patdown because her sanitary towel arose suspicion when she went through the body scanner
‘Gate rape’: The unidentified woman claims the search brought back memories of a previously suffered sexual assault
She said the invasive patdown was additionally humiliating because it brought back memories of a previously suffered sexual assault.
She wrote: ‘The TSA agents were doing their job, they were as delicate as they could be, etc., etc.
‘But what ultimately happened is that I was subjected to a search so invasive that I was left crying and dealing with memories that I thought had been dealt with years ago of prior sexual assaults.
Her email added: ‘Because of my flannel panty-liner. These new scans are so horrible that if you are wearing something unusual (like a piece of cloth on your panties) then you will be subjected to a search where a woman repeatedly has to check your ‘groin’ while another woman watches on (two in my case – they were training in a new girl – awesome)’.
The woman said that she was speaking out because she didn’t want another woman to face the same humiliation.
‘I just don’t want another woman to have to go through the ‘patting down’ because she didn’t know that her glad-rag would be a matter of national security.’
A increasing amount of woman have apparently requesting information from the TSA, regarding if sanitary products are picked up by the body scanners and by all accounts it does.
Doctors are also now questioning the hygiene of TSA agents who conduct hundreds of patdowns daily.
Although they wear gloves, it is being reported that viruses like syphilis, lice, gonorrhea, chlamydia, strep and papilloma viruses can be transferred from passenger to passenger during the body searches.
Alarmed travellers have noted that the TSA agents do not change gloves in between patdowns and were actually patting down dozens of passengers or more wearing the same gloves.
The TSA nor federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control have yet commented on the possibility that infections and other afflictions could be spread.
Germs: Some doctors are questioning the hygiene of TSA agents wearing the same gloves to patdown numerous passengers saying diseases could be spread via their latex gloves
Dr Thomas Warner from Wisconsin told WND: ‘There is no doubt that bacteria (staph, strep, v.cholerae etc.) and viruses (noro, enteroviruses, herpes, hepatitis A and papilloma viruses) can be spread by contaminated vinyl or latex gloves’.
‘If a traveller has diarrhea and is soiled, as can and does happen, the causative agent can be spread by this method since bacteria and viruses in moist environments have greater viability’, he added.
‘The traveler readjusting clothes can easily get the infectious agents on their hands and therefore into their mouth, nose and eyes.’
‘How come if we as doctors have guidelines, we must wear gloves and have oversight, it’s very different [for the TSA]’.
Unhygienic: Dr Thomas Warner said at the very minimum, TSA agents should change their gloves in between patdowns
Dr Warner said that at the very minimum, gloves should be changed between patdowns, ‘especially if the gloved hand is inside clothes or in the genital area… even if clothed. Travelers should be advised of this and hand-wash and change clothes ASAP after these intimate examinations.’
The CDC have said that passengers should request the TSA agent use fresh gloves before conducting their body search.
‘If you are traveling and are going to be searched, you can request that the TSA agent change his or her gloves,’ their statement read.
Singled out: Eliana Sutherland claims she was chosen for a patdown because of her large breasts
Privacy-invasion claims like Eliana Sutherland’s have become increasingly common since the TSA introduced the full body scan.
She complained that she was singled out by agents because of her large breasts.
She said she was flying from Orlando International Airport and felt objectified by security workers, claiming two male TSA workers had been staring at her chest and picked her out for additional screening.
‘It was pretty obvious. One of the guys that was staring me up and down was the one who pulled me over’, she said. ‘Not a comfortable feeling’.
President Obama waded into the TSA row today by insisting patdowns are essential to keeping passengers safe.
He tells ABC’s Barbara Walters in an interview to be screened tonight: ‘I understand people’s frustrations with it.
‘But I also know that if there was an explosion in the air that killed a couple of hundred people…and it turned out that we could have prevented it possibly…that would be something that would be pretty upsetting to most of us – including me.’
The TSA has stressed that people are chosen for additional screening at random and strictly for security reasons.
TSA Administrator John Pistole has pledged to review security procedures but says the TSA must balance people’s demands for privacy with the need to protect passengers from terror threats.
He said that only a small portion of the 34 million people who have flown since the new procedures have taken effect have had the body patdowns.
More…
Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.
Sexual Abuse
Dear Amazon.com,
It’s November 13, 2010 and you have a unique opportunity to make a powerful statement in support of children’s safety. I realize you are currently dealing with a public relations mess since CNN and others have noted the pedophile how to guides on your site. I give you credit for removing the material, but your time to act, and your position on the issue still leaves people wondering about why it took so long and what you intend to do in the future.
Your Letter
I realize corporations often don’t respond as quickly as they need to, but now is the time to act. If you are stuck looking for the right words, here is a starting point:
“Amazon.com has always worked to provide the largest selection of appropriate materials available to our customers. Recently several books made it on to our site that should not have been listed due to their exploitive nature. We regret the incident and are working to improve our screening process. While we do not censor, we take every effort to exclude material that may advocate criminal activities. Amazon.com takes protection of children seriously. We recognize that none of us can ensure the safety of children alone, and we welcome our customer’s input to improve our efforts. “
Feel free to adjust as needed, but please respond soon. Your customer are waiting!
