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Feature Stories - 2014
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I Am A Water House
- a poem written for survivors and NAASCA family members
by Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - Episode 995 talk show special guest Susan Sengezer - 12/26/14
Tonight's special guest is Susan Sengezer from Costa Mesa, an Emergency Room RN at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, an ordained Christian minister and Ms California Ambassador FoRe! Domestic Violence with Safe Passage as her charity of choice. She's also an accomplished author of three books, "I'll Meet You at Winston and Wall Street Journals: Ministering to the Homeless on the Streets of Los Angeles," "The Anointing of Mercy from the Heart of a Parish Nurse: Providing a Guide to Minister in the Hospital setting," and "Journey To My Fathers Palace." |
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Rivka Edery, MSW, LCSW |
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The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as an Adjunctive Treatment for Trauma Survivors
arrticle by Rivka A Edery
ABSTRACT: Background and Method: The consequences of surviving trauma are complex, making it difficult to formulate a recovery and treatment plan. The most common defense mechanism, and the toughest one to work through, is denial.
Throughout human history, lack of knowledge and non-acceptance of the perpetrators misdeeds has placed the suffering of survivors behind an armored wall, perpetuating traumatic effects. No recovery can occur behind this wall of forced silence, ignorance and lack of helpful resources. |
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Rivka Edery is co-host of a new special series of NAASCA's Internet-based talk radio shows on "Child Abuse, Trauma and 12-Step Recovery" which airs every second Thursday at 8pm EST (5pm PAC) and is co-hosted by NAASCA founder, Bill Murray. Rivka is author of the new book "Trauma and Transformation: A 12-Step Guide" and Bill founded the recently launched Adult Survivors of Child Abuse Anonymous (ASCAA). Bi-weekly talk show TOPICS are on the application of the 12 Step "design for living" to recovery from the trauma and suffering of childhood abuse.
Rivka is also a poet. Here is one of her works, "A Poem for Every Survivor," which appears on page 43 of her book. |
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Child sex abuse starts with grooming the victim
by The Statesman Journal
Grooming is a method of building trust with a child and adults around the child to gain access to and time alone with her/him.
Offenders can assume a caring role, befriend the child, or even exploit their position of trust and authority to groom the child and/or the child's family. These individuals intentionally build relationships with the adults around a child or seek out a child with fewer adults in her/his life. This increases the likelihood that the offender's time with the child is welcomed and encouraged. |
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Victoria Polin, MA, LPCC
Dancing Tree Wellness Center |
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Special to NAASCA
Questions to ask yourself before disclosing, confronting or going public
by Vicki Polin, MA, LPCC -- NAASCA family member
PLEASE NOTE: Vicki Polin was the featured special guest on NAASCA's "Stop Child Abuse Now" talk radio show in Nov. 2014.
WARNING: Survivors of various forms of sexual violence (childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, clergy sexual abuse, professional sexual misconduct and sexual harassment) often want to disclose their experiences, confront their perpetrators, and/or speak-out about their victimization. This is done in an attempt to try to help educate the public. Often the urge to share personal information about one self occurs during various stages of healing.
If you are considering speaking out PLEASE review the many questions listed in this article. |
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6 truths about forgiving
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6 truths about “forgiving” sexual abuse
by John Shore
November 12, 2014
(Due to some of the comments coming in to my last post [Good-bye, family that takes my brother's side, despite what he did to me], I wanted to bring this post, based largely upon a post I published years ago, to the fore.)
People who are sexually abused are very often, however subtly or overtly, pressured to forgive their assailants. (A subject which, as you might know, has lately come up here.) If you are in any way burdened by the notion that you are not, as comprehensively as you or others feel that you're obliged to, forgiving the person who sexually abused you, please consider these six truths about forgiveness (which, being universal, hold as true for the Christian as they do anyone else). |
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Special to NAASCA
Thanksgiving: Survivors of child sexual abuse of yesterday, today and tomorrow
by Vicki Polin, MA, LPCC
-- NAASCA family member
PLEASE NOTE: Vicki Polin was the featured special guest on NAASCA's "Stop Child Abuse Now" talk radio show in Nov. 2014.
For many families in the United States who celebrate Thanksgiving, it is time of year filled with wonderful memories of families getting together.
Thanksgiving (like any other holiday) often mean that families get together, routines are changed, and there is also the added stress of cleaning and preparing meals. |
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50 Facts About Domestic Violence
by Soraya Chemaly -- Feminist, writer, and satirist (not always in that order)
Huffington Post - 11/30/2012
Sunday was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the launch of this year's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. In the time it takes me to write this paragraph, 26 people -- given our statistics probably all women -- will be assaulted by an intimate partner in the U.S. In the roughly 48 hours between my writing and posting, at least six women in the US and hundreds if not thousands around the world will be killed by violent spouses. So, what does it mean that Republicans in Congress have degraded and continue to hold up passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for the first time since 1994?
According to an exhaustively comprehensive study, the U.S. is squarely in the middle of the global pack as far as the physical safety of women is concerned, and a large part of the reason why is our high rates of intimate partner and domestic violence. And, yes, I am putting our country in the same area of comparison as the rest of the world. |
PLEASE NOTE --- Ultimately, the Violence Against Women Act was again reauthorized in 2013, after a long legislative battle throughout 2012–2013.
"President signs Violence Against Women Act"
- CNN.com --- March 7, 2013 - |
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Resolution (Category of Civil, Human and Constitutional Rights)
In the spirit of a) enlightened self-interest and b) in order to form a more perfect union, we the people of Minnesota declare that all children have an equal right to preventative health care (the right to see a doctor before they are sick) including prenatal care and to quality early learning (pre-K) programs.
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KARA (Kids At Risk Action) Documentary Project
by Mike Tikkanen
---- 2 minute movie trailer ----
MN Public TV is partnering with us for a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference in the lives of abused and neglected children. To do this we need your help.
KIDS AT RISK ACTION (501(c)3 non-profit, is partnering with Minnesota Public Television (TPT) to tell the INVISIBLE CHILDREN's story through compelling interviews with children and adults within the world of child protection. KARA needs your support and asks for your gift to help make this project happen.
Larger donors will be featured on the program , invited to the pre-screening party at TPT (St. Paul), and receive priority consideration for all new projects as they develop. This project will be a big part of our ongoing efforts at KARA.
Creating awareness that builds action to address the epidemic of child abuse and mental health issues in our communities. |
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When it comes to CHILD sex trafficking in the US, the percentage of male victims is a lot higher. One 2008 study found that a full 50% of sexually trafficked children in New York City were boys..
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Race Against Abuse of Children Everywhere |
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The siblings of abused children need support too
When a family discovers that one of their children has been sexually abused, the natural reaction is to focus intensely on that child's needs and the practical steps required to keep the child safe and alert the authorities about the abuse. Sometimes, in these times of crisis, the emotional and psychological needs of the family's other children can go unfilled. Even if the siblings were not abused themselves, they will face challenges as their family deals with the fallout from the crime. |
If no one explains what is going on, siblings can be confused and anxious. They sense that something is seriously wrong, but no one has taken the time to sit down and explain the situation to them. With the parents' focus on the child who was abused, siblings can feel neglected, which may lead to acting out and other disturbances in their behavior.
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Ever been in psychotherapy for your PTSD issues — and have them not resolve? Ever have people in the psych community NOT EVEN DIAGNOSE your clear PTSD symptoms? Several caregivers don't know enough about PTSD to recognize its presence. It's important for us – sufferers and those who love us – to educate ourselves.
Over the course of 25 years I saw several psychotherapists as I sought help for anorexia, insomnia, frequent mysterious medical problems that doctors (since they couldn't diagnose a cause for, say, my skyrocketing liver enzymes) suggested I seek alternative help, and a whole host of other traditional PTSD issues. Even as I sat in front of these professionals talking about and complaining of PTSD red flags, no one saw what was happening to me. It wasn't until I took responsibility for my own healing that I did some research and found the results: I had a classic, extreme case of PTSD.
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Georgia parole board's secret votes forgive sex offenders
by Alan Judd - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(Video on site) -
Sept. 13, 2014
Barry Davis stood before a judge and admitted to a horrific crime: aggravated sodomy of a 6-year-old girl. Davis served two years in prison and eight on probation, and his name was to live forever on an ignominious list: Georgia's sex offender registry.
But suddenly last year, all was forgiven.
Georgia's parole board granted Davis an unconditional pardon, recognizing his restored reputation and absolving, if not exactly exonerating, him of his crime. The board did so without notifying Davis' victim, her family, or the prosecutor and judge who sent him to prison. And now Davis, like at least one other pardoned child molester from Georgia, says he no longer has to comply with the state's restrictions on sex offenders. |
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What Happens After Men Get Raped in America
MIC.com
by Jack Fischl
It's highly likely that you know a man who has endured sexual violence. But you probably don't know it yet, and might never know.
One in 6 American men will encounter sexual abuse at some point in their lives. According to MaleSurvivor, a nonprofit that helps male survivors of sexual assault heal, after a man is raped, he doesn't tell anyone for, on average, 20 years. When he finally does, his courage is often met with derision, confusion, dismissal and even disbelief. |
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Child Sexual Abuse: 11 don'ts for parents to keep in mind
DNA India.com
by Harish Iyer
Child sexual abuse survivor Harish Iyer, shares advice on how parents can approach the subject of child abuse with their children.
Even as the country grapples with the rape of a six-year-old girl in a high profile school in Bangalore, various questions have been raised on the subject of the safety of children in India. |
With the rise in crimes against India's little ones, parents and concerned adults have begun to recognise the key problem that lies on in the efficacy of our laws, but in the lack of awareness among those very people who have the responsibility of protecting the young ones.
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Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor debuted June 29, 2014 |
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"Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor" - the play
- first presented June 29, 2014
If you want to learn the effects of childhood sexual assault who would you ask? A child? An adult who's still keeping the secret of the abuse that occured in his youth? Someone who's new to dealing with his childhood trauma?
No. You'd ask a sex abuse survivor. And you'd want a survivor whose healing had proceeded to a point where he was comfortable in his own skin, a thriver, someone at ease with using the story of his abuse and trauma as a way of helping others.
That's the premise behind a unique vehicle that breaks through the typical taboo of addressing the issue.
In late June, 2014, storyteller Michael Broussard, a NAASCA family member who's comfortable in his own ongoing recovery, presented himself in two, back to back, one-man live shows at Philadelphia's InterAct Theatre.
He calls his play "Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor."
Each performance proves a unique opportunity for an open, interactive dialogue on the effects and causes of abuse between an abuse survivor and an audience whose members are encouraged at various points in the evening to share their own experiences, ask questions and offer up comments. |
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Child Maltreatment
Facts at a glance - 2013
by National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Division of Violence Prevention |
Child Maltreatment
• In 2011, U.S. state and local child protective services (CPS) received an estimated 3.7 million referrals of children being abused or neglected.
• CPS estimated that 681,000 children (9.1 per 1,000) were victims of maltreatment.
• Of the child victims, 79% were victims of neglect; 18% of physical abuse; 9% of sexual abuse; and 10% were victims of other types of maltreatment including threatened abuse, parent’s drug/alcohol abuse, or lack of supervision.
• CPS reports of child maltreatment may underestimate the true occurrence. Non-CPS studies estimate that 1 in 7 U.S. children experience some form of child maltreatment in their lifetimes.
• Between 1990 and 2010, CPS-reported rates of sexual violence declined 62%, physical abuse declined 56%, and neglect declined 10%.
• The total lifetime economic burden resulting from new cases of fatal and nonfatal child maltreatment in the United States is approximately $124 billion.
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A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
U.S. Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation - Publications
Dear Parent:
Our children are our Nation's most valuable asset. They represent the bright future of our country and hold our hopes for a better Nation. Our children are also the most vulnerable members of society. Protecting our children against the fear of crime and from becoming victims of crime must be a national priority. |
Unfortunately the same advances in computer and telecommunication technology that allow our children to reach out to new sources of knowledge and cultural experiences are also leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and harm by computer-sex offenders.
I hope that this pamphlet helps you to begin to understand the complexities of on-line child exploitation. For further information, please contact your local FBI office or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.
Louis J. Freeh, Former Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
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Almost Half of Teen Boys and Young Men Have Been Sexually Coerced
by Hermione Stranger
According to a new study, a large portion of teen boys and young men have been forced or coerced into sexual activity by a peer. The study, published in the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity , 43% of high school boys and young college men reported they had an unwanted sexual experience, and 95% reported that a female acquaintance was the aggressor. |
"Sexual victimization continues to be a pervasive problem in the United States, but the victimization of men is rarely explored," said the lead author, Dr. Breanna French. "Our findings can help lead to better prevention by identifying the various types of coercion that men face and by acknowledging women as perpetrators against men." While participants reported relatively low rates of being victimized by other men, French cautions against concluding that rates of male-on-male victimization are actually that low, as participants may have been uncomfortable reporting being victimized by another boy or man due to internalized homophobia and fears of emasculation.
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Statute of Limitations (SOL) Reform - UPDATE.
Professor Marci A. Hamilton
- Statute of Limitations - |
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Hawaii and Massachusetts Lead the Way for Access to Justice
for Child Sex Abuse Victims While the Worst States Do Nothing
by Marci A. Hamilton - SOL-reform.com
This is another good year for the victims of child sex abuse in a number of states, including Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Florida, and it's not over yet. It is also the year that the states with some of the worst statutes of limitations and most troubling sex abuse scandals—New York and Georgia--continue to sit on their hands.
While humankind has struggled with child sex abuse since time immemorial, we did not understand the dynamics of our trivialization of child sex abuse until the Boston Globe revealed in 2001 that respected Church leaders were creating safe havens for pedophiles. |
It was a short step from there to Penn State, the Boy Scouts, prestigious private schools, and many other organizations.
A critical reason we were in the dark is that survivors often need years, and even decades, to come forward. Kids don't understand sex, statutory rape, or adults who care for them, groom them, and love them while they sexually abuse them. They are literally helpless.
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10 Reasons Parents Don't Discuss Child Sexual Abuse
by Jill Starishevsky
As a prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes in New York City for the past sixteen years and a prevention specialist, I have heard all the reasons why parents don't discuss child sexual abuse prevention with their children. I have heard them so often that I can recite them by heart. In honor of April's Child Abuse Prevention Month, I decided it would be a good idea to memorialize the top 10 reasons why parents choose not to discuss the subject. |
1) Children are seldom victims of sexual abuse.
Actually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, in the United States, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused by the time they are 18. Consider those numbers for a moment. They are shocking and devastating. Those figures alone should motivate parents to seek out prevention strategies.
2) This kind of thing doesn't happen where we live.
Actually, child sexual abuse has no socio-economic boundaries. It doesn't care if you are black or white, rich or poor or what religion you practice. It can creep in when you least expect it.
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 Dying To Live - the book
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Broken Mind, Broken Matter
A landmark study on adverse childhood experiences should revolutionize medicine.
But it hasn't yet.
by Nicole Jordan
EDITOR'S NOTE: The featured "poster child" for the ACE Study is Amy Crohn from New York, a member of the NAASCA family, author of the book "Dying to Live" and special guest on our "Stop Child Abuse Now" talk show, Episode 838. Here's the direct link to her appearance on the talk show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bill-murray/2014/05/22/stop-child-abuse-now-scan--838
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Amy Susan Crohn just turned 53 and says she's emotionally and physically “shot.” She likens caring for her health to a full-time job, referring to herself as a “professional patient,” without a hint of sarcasm. Considering Crohn teetered on the brink of life and death throughout her 30s and was once declared dead, passing the half-century mark has been no small feat. The New York native welcomes each birthday with bewilderment at her ability to defy the odds, saying she wonders every day how it is that she's still alive. “I don't know why I survived,” she says. “But I did.” |
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Believe the Child |
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Believe the Child
by Michael J. Salamon
It sounded just a bit too quiet when her 12 year old son and his friend were supposed to be playing in his bedroom so Mom decided to check in and see what was going on.
“What I saw” she told me “practically gave me a heart attack.”
Mom walked in on the two boys undressed and physically pleasuring one another, she said “in a way that I never thought they could possibly know at this age.” |
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Students to get chance to intern at One Place
by Tom Smith
FLORENCE — A partnership between the University of North Alabama and One Place of the Shoals is offering one-semester internships to UNA criminal justice and sociology students.
One Place of the Shoals is a partnership between the district attorney's office and other providers of services to victims of domestic and dating violence, adult rape and sexual assault, child sexual and physical abuse, and elder abuse.
The services are all in one location. One Place also works with local law enforcement agencies. |
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"Red Flags" of a Battering Personality
by Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Center of Warren County, NJ
http://www.besafewc.org
"Red Flags" Of A Battering Personality:
If you are uncertain whether your partner is abusive or if you want to be able to tell at the beginning of the relationship if the other person has the potential to become abusive, there are behaviors you can look for, including the following: |
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Advocacy Official: ‘No Offender Profile' For Child Sexual Abuse
by Jeff Arnold
While investigating and prosecuting child sexual abuse can be problematic, preventing it is even more difficult.
Offenders come from every walk of life, male and female, all socioeconomic classes, all ages — a significant number of children are abused by older juveniles — and all ethnic groups.
“There is no offender profile, aside from being human beings and having a desire to do it,” said Chris Newlin, a Fort Smith native and executive director of the National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Ala. “If someone is highly motivated, they'll figure out a way to make it happen, just like an addict.” |
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NAASCA presents: 30 Posters and 30 Essays, once a day during April 2014
Each day in April 2014, National Child Abuse Awareness Month, NAASCA featured another unique offering to the community (one a day, 30 in all) encouraging those willing to speak out about child abuse.
Our theme for 2014: Child Abuse lives everywhere, in every community -- don't be afraid to talk about it.
We hope the posters, associated essays and links we've offered will get the conversation going!
Bill Murray
NAASCA |
Blue Ribbon
Campaign |
Note: CLICK HERE to learn more about our ongoing BLUE RIBBON NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Campaign |
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MaleSurvivor.org |
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Male Sexual Victimization Myths & Facts
from Male Survivor.org
http://www.malesurvivor.org
MaleSurvivor provides critical resources to male survivors of sexual trauma and all their partners in recovery by building communities of Hope, Healing, & Support.
The following list of Myths & Facts is adapted from a presentation at the 5th International Conference on Incest and Related Problems, Biel, Switzerland, August 14, 1991.
For any male who has been sexually abused, becoming free of these myths is an essential part of the recovery process. |
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10 Rules of Time Out
by Karen Riley, PhD
"My recommendation is to sit the child down right where the infraction takes place."
"Consistency of language also allows you to change location without disrupting the routine."
"Nobody wants time-out, it is not fun. That is what makes it an effective tool." |
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When consulting with parents regarding behavior issues, the topic of time-out comes up during the majority of my conversations. Parents and professionals alike have used time-out as an effective tool for many years—even before it was called time-out. Research has supported its usefulness with typically developing children as well as those with delays such as ADHD. |
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Child Trafficking Increases at Alarming Rate
by Jerome Elam and Michael Reagan
On city streets throughout America a battle is being waged for the soul of humanity, and it is taking place right in front of our eyes. As darkness descends, the fading light lays bare an open wound in the fabric of society. The most vulnerable among us are being offered up as prey for those with unspeakable appetites. Children are being trafficked sexually in this country at an alarming rate and right now 300,000 are at risk of being prostituted.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the average age of a sex-trafficked child is 13-14 years old. Each pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child a year, and the average pimp has four to six girls.
One of the most vulnerable populations is a child in foster care. The FBI has been aggressively conducting operations to combat child trafficking over the past decade. In their efforts to rescue children, the FBI reports that close to 60 percent of the children were from foster care or group homes. |
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Lewis Blayse |
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Australian Royal Commission Heard His Testimony
Shortly afterward he passed on - his legacy endures
LEWIS BLAYSE PUBLIC MEMORIAL EVENT
University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus: 1 March, 2014, 1-4 pm, Alumni Court
On the 31st of January, long-time social justice, child protection / anti-paedophilia activist, and Forgotten Australian, Lewis Blayse (born Lewin Blazevich, in Tully), passed away, aged 64, at his home in Benarkin, Queensland. It was just after he had conducted an interview with the ABC's 7:30 Report about the current Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the re-airing of the 2003 ABC Four Corners story “The Homies”, which featured Lewis's story. |
Before he died, he had been writing a daily blog about the Royal Commission and associated matters at www.lewisblayse.net, which had gained a popular following for its trenchant and fearless commentary on institutional responses to child protection issues.
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What is Child Sexual Abuse?
Child molestation usually begins with a sex offender gaining a child’s trust and friendship. The offender then begins “testing” the child’s ability to protect himself by telling sexual jokes, engaging in horseplay, back rubs, kissing or sexual games.
If the child appears comfortable or curious about this type of behavior, (and most healthy, normal children are) the offender will slowly increase the amount and type of touching to include more direct sexual touching. Child sexual abuse can include exposing, fondling, masturbation, oral sex, intercourse and pornography.
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Bill Murray
Experience, Strength, Hope |
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Bill Murray - Experience, Strength, Hope
Breaking the Silence for Child Abuse Victims
This half-hour radio talk show interview of Bill Murray, hosted by Elaine Crocker, was recorded on March 2, 2014.
In it, Elaine asks Bill to briefly talk about his past, explain his advocacy work and to describe the pandemic of child abuse and trauma in North America.
Bill is convinced through his own life's personal experience that children need and deserve the help of a community that in the main chooses not to recognize their desperate situation.
The very topic of "child abuse" is largely taboo, yet kids don't have their own voice, so their pain is often suffered in silence.
It's up to us .. the aware adults .. to speak for them .. |
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End of the Innocence
- Don Henley, Bruce Hornsby -
Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn't have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standin' by
But "happily ever after" fails
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales ...
....But I know a place where we can go
And wash away this sin
We'll sit and watch the clouds toll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind...
...Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence ... |
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End of the Innocence
by Sam
Stewart
… Oh how do these words ring true for so many children who have had their innocence stolen from them due to sexual abuse. A study from the US Department of Health reported that up to 250,000 children are victims of sexual abuse per year. The problem is that so many, the majority, go unreported. Sexual abuse in girls is a staggering 25% or more; 1 out of every 4 young girls is a victim. ONE OUT OF 4!! Boys "luck out" at only 10 - 15%
Who are the people that prey on the innocence and trust of a young child? I bet most of you think it is a stranger, a passerby, someone who sees the child on the way to school or at the playground and just decides to attack; WRONG!!
"Offenders are more likely to be relatives or acquaintances of their victim than strangers. A 2006–2007 study of 430 cases found that 82% of juvenile sex offenders were known to the victims (acquaintances 46% or relatives 36%; (father, brother, uncle or cousin). Strangers are the offenders in approximately 10% of child sexual abuse cases. Most child sexual abuse is committed by men; studies show that women commit 14% to 40% of offenses reported against boys and 6% of offenses reported against girls. Most offenders who sexually abuse prepubescent children are pedophiles, although some offenders do not meet the clinical diagnosis standards for pedophilia." |
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Erin Runnion is the mother
of Samantha Runnion and
the Founding Director of
The Joyful Child Foundation. |
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The Joyful Child Foundation's "Be Safe Guidebook"
by Bill Murray
NAASCA would like to recommend the following, The Joyful Child Foundation "Be Safe Guidebook", as a prevention tool that ought to be shared by everyone interested in child abuse prevention.
Erin Runnion, TJCF's founder, created the non profit to honor the memory of her abducted, abused and murdered child, Samantha. Just 5 years old, Samantha was kidnapped by a man who pulled her into his car .. just steps from her families' home. Her body was discovered the next day.
We are grateful to Erin for appearing as our "Stop Child Abuse Now" talk show's special guest on Wed, Feb. 5, 2014.
(Links to both the "on-demand" version of the show and to a PDF copy of The Joyful Child Foundation "Be Safe Guidebook" are available through the full article, inside) |
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The United States has the worst record of child
abuse deaths of 29 industrialized countries. |
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America is abusing its children and the maltreatment must stop
by Barry Ellsworth
In the past 10 years, an estimated 20,000 children in the United States have died from maltreatment by family members in what is supposed to be the safe refuge of their homes.
It is the worst record of child abuse deaths in the industrialized world.
It makes one cringe to read about a recent and all-too-common case of a mother who launched an attack on her own defenseless child.
A Delaware woman punched her 1-year-old daughter, then threw her down a set of stairs because she wouldn't stop crying, ABC TV6 reported Monday. |
The mother has been charged and the child is in hospital in stable condition, but similar incidents are disturbingly frequent in America. In 2009, some 1,770 children were murdered by maltreatment across the US, the BBC reported.
And in the past 10 years 20,000 children have been killed in their own homes by family members, Child Help reported. That's triple the number of Canada and 11 times the rate of Italy, per 100,000 population.
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