After Jerry Sandusky's conviction, I read editorials on how people in positions of power molest children, how people should have known, should have reported, etc.
New York Times columnist K.J. Dell'Antonia says we should have "the talk" with our children and tell them that we will believe them. I read that and thought-- maybe we should first have "the talk" with ourselves. Because here's what will likely happen: Our child tells us they were molested. The molester will most likely be someone we know. Now, we're in shock. We just can't believe someone we know would do something like to our child. We might start going through all the reasons it couldn't be true and list all the reasons we shouldn't have to report this. Is it really worth all the trouble it will cause? Isn't it easier to tell our child to stay away from the molester? Make the accused promise to never do it again?
Sex offender treatment provider Dr. Anna Salter warns us of the consequences of tolerating child molesters when we take the "what we think is best" approach rather than the "what is right" approach.
"Sex offenders who have been caught abusing a child without a report being made to the authorities or without any meaningful consequences often feel emboldened, giving them a sense of invincibility," Salter advises.
Lynn Crook, Richland
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