Author: Mario Cattabiani is the Director of Communications at Ross Feller Casey– one of the law firms that helped bring justice to several of the Sandusky victims.
Jerry Sandusky initially made a name for himself during the 32 years that he spent on the football coaching staff at Penn State. He also founded the Second Mile, a non-profit organization for at-risk youth. However, his legacy was forever changed when the truth about his behavior was exposed. On June 22, 2012, a jury found Jerry Sandusky guilty on 45 out of 48 criminal charges that were all related to child sexual abuse. When everything was said and done, it was revealed that he had sexually abused 10 young boys over a span of at least 15 years.
The most devastating detail about all of this was that it went on for so many years. There were several instances where the accusations and speculations were never formally reported. Even worse, he was not punished even in the instances where the authorities were involved.
When horrifying incidents like these occur, it can be nearly impossible to see any type of good in the situation. However, these are the types of events that our society needs to learn from. How can we change things to better protect our children?
We need to believe our children.
Everyone needs to be educated about the warning signs.
Both parents and members of organizations need to receive training on what to look for in a sexual predator. There are actually some institutions that require everyone who comes into contact with children to take specialized training on this subject matter. For example, the Catholic Church requires all employees and volunteers to complete a child sexual abuse prevention program before they are able to be around children at Catholic schools or churches. The Boy Scouts of America also requires that volunteers complete youth protection training every two years, and they have a mandatory policy that all good-faith suspicions of child abuse must be reported to the authorities.
Sexual predators are not just the creepy looking men who try to lure children with puppies and candy. Unfortunately, children often know and like the people that end up hurting them. Just like Sandusky used the Second Mile organization to have easy access to young boys, other sexual predators throughout the country are doing the exact same thing.
Organizations need to have an action plan.
Employees, volunteers and parents should all be educated about an action plan to report any speculation or witness of an incident. Sexual abuse is a very serious matter, and it should always be handled as such, regardless of whom the accused may be. Looking back at the Sandusky case, a graduate assistant reported an incident that he witnessed to his superiors. Sadly, the Athletic Director and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business, who have no expertise in handling child sexual abuse matters, made the decision to not inform law enforcement. By establishing and sharing an action plan, everyone should feel safe in reporting such matters without the fear of repercussions or putting their own careers in jeopardy.
Everyone should understand his or her responsibilities.
This is one of those instances where it is most definitely better to be safe than sorry. Individuals who were aware that abuse was occurring may have come forward sooner if they had been explicitly told that it was their responsibility to do so. While child sexual abuse is not always comfortable to talk about, institutions should strongly consider making it a point to address this topic before it ever becomes an actual concern.
While there is nothing positive about what happened to Jerry Sandusky’s victims, we must use this as an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others. Our children are vulnerable, so adults need to do everything in their power to protect them.