An offender already serving 19 years for numerous grooming and child abuse charges has been named after his conviction on 30 further charges. He will be re-sentenced at the beginning of August 2012 and the Metro free newspaper’s report is here.
Ally Fogg pointed it out earlier this week, in all the reports of the abuse ring in Oxfordshire, none of the 50 boys who were included as victims were mentioned at all. Recently, I read an article about rescuing sex trafficking victims and noticed that the authors of the article used the terms “Children” and…
For example, if we know that kids who don’t understand boundaries, are lonely, live in stressful family situations, and do not have open communication with other people in their lives, are more likely to be sexually abused, what does that mean when a teen comes out and is not accepted by their family? Or when a blended family becomes dysfunctional, or a kid with disabilities is not taught boundaries but kept hidden away from others?
You have kids who are lonely, who don’t feel safe and loved, who don’t understand boundaries, etc.
If a kid who’s lonely and lacking in self esteem is at risk. And a kid who identifies as LGBTQ+ is at risk, can we stop for a minute and consider that it’s not being LGBTQ+ that is a risk factor, it’s how much more likely that kid is to be lonely and lacking in self-esteem?
And thus, the cycle continues. When it shouldn’t. We know what it is about disabled kids, kids from blended families, or LGBTQ+ kids that make them more prone to abuse, mental health issues, and suicide. It’s not their reality, it’s the responses to their reality that create the risk factors. The things that make them more likely to be loners, disconnected from family support, lacking safe adults to communicate with, etc.
So maybe we should focus on being more supportive of all kids?
And, since we’re on the topic and it is June. Happy Pride!
For many of us, child abuse was normal. Not because there is anything remotely acceptable about it, but because it happened to us. Turning away from our stories and ignoring our voices because you don’t want to think about it isn’t good enough.
We don’t have that choice. We deserve more than being kept silent in order for you not to be upset by our realities.
Widow of Columbus firefighter remembers husband, talks need for mental health awareness Forensics and Mental Health What It Means to Be a Mental Health Advocate—And How to Become One To Others Who Have Experienced Trauma as Children Abuse is Not A Contest Of Who Had It Worse Mental Health isn’t something we should be afraid…
