Category Archives: abuse victim

Childhood Cancer Awareness

Posted on by
Reply

It is and should be a popular cause to support cancer research for children and children who endure the shocking ordeal of cancer.

No child should have to endure cancer. Ever. It is a tragic function of our scary, broken world.

But what if there were “better” and “worse” ways to get cancer?

And what if some of the worse ways had to do with enduring other things that children should not have to be exposed to? Second-hand smoke? Meth labs in their homes? Physical abuse? Or sexual exploitation?

The terrible truth is that some people do get cancer from being sexually exploited and physically abused.

People like Robbie Middleton.

Kids you will probably never see on a poster for cancer research because our society systematically marginalizes child abuse victims.

Imagine. Imagine the hell of that kind of abuse–that it could result in a boy’s death.

Then imagine you and I were the ones who looked away because it was too hard to bear.

Too hard indeed.

The Heroic Dog, Bad Babysitter…and you

Posted on by
Reply

Don’t get me wrong…I think the dog who saved the baby is a hero. And I think it was smart and canny of the owners/parents to register the canine’s distress and believe the dog.

And yet…

My own experience as a very noisy advocate for abused and neglected children has been the opposite of the dog’s.

When I barked out my story people distanced themselves or shut down…they sometimes told me just shut up.

I am 43 and can take the discomfort. But how about all the child victims? Shouldn’t they get the same support and protection as the baby in the story.

I guess what I am saying is this–don’t mindlessly forward a story about a heroic dog if you are not willing to be a heroic person.

All it takes is a little time to growl at the bad guys, let someone know. Listen to anyone who makes a cry for help.

All our children deserve a defender like that.

And…in my experience, a person who would slap a baby is capable of hurting the dog too. We all have a right to live free from abuse.

Final Words for Ariel Castro

Posted on by
2

It is easy to rejoice in the death of a monster. It is easy to see Ariel Castro’s suicide as the final word on the life of an evil man.

But is that enough?

I don’t think so.

I think I must grieve.

Grieve for his countless victims.
Grieve for the irreparable harm of his years of sin.
Grieve for broken justice, in this case blind for too long.

Grieve because he was once a baby whose life, like all small humans, was once so full of potential…

Grieve because all he did to hurt, disfigure, and destroy was his choice.

And he could have chosen light instead.

Eric Eoin Marques and the face of evil

Posted on by
1

There is a personal story I have written about privately but never published. A man I knew well once confided in me that he fantasized about the torture and rape of children. I tried to raise an alarm about his dangerous thinking and Internet searches.

As far as I know it did no good. He made a joke out of my concerns and continued to be allowed access to children at his church.

Frustrating.

My primary conflict with him came down to a showdown in my dining room years ago. I put a piece of blank paper in front of him and demanded that he write down the names of the dark and destructive sites he trolled online.

He refused and accused me of being unchristian–not like Jesus.

I thought about him yesterday when I wrote Jesus whipped men for less, because that is what I told him that night–

Oh yeah? Jesus raised havoc to clean the temple of people who were using it to defraud and cheat. How much more would his anger burn towards anyone who hurts a child?

The only–only result of my conflict with that man was more broken relationships and some really memorable character assassination of anyone who questioned this man’s access to children.

The church in question “remedied” the situation by sending him to a family camp.

I digress. I know.

I am writing this now because I want to say two things–

Let us all take note of what Jesus said–

there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed

And

Men may ignore the prayers for the relief of children for years, but God hears and answers. Justice is coming for Eric Eoin Marques and every last person who aided or watched or stood by and did nothing in the face of monstrous evil.

I pray for justice for the innocent. I pray for their healing.

And I thank God today for the FBI, Anonymous, and anyone who wrote code to reveal unthinkable evil.

Amos 5:24

The Spanish Pedophile, Daniel Galvan

Posted on by
Reply

It needs to be said–crimes against children are regrettably common worldwide. Most go unreported.

The story causing justifiable outrage in Morocco right now is worth examining.

A sixty year old European pedophile is convicted of raping 11 children and then pardoned by the Moroccan king.

Bad.

But even worse is the subtext: pedophiles from first world countries travel to poorer countries to prey on children who have few legal or economic protections.

We send our predators abroad. They go abroad knowing that their victims will have no chance.

And if by some chance they get caught after violating the lives of young kids?

Pardon them?
Send them home?
Pretend you were not told their crimes?

God does not forget. We will all be held to an account for the crimes against children that did not evoke outrage.

Jesus whipped men for less.
We turn away.

Victim’s Impact Statement

Posted on by
Reply

In the winter of 2009 I wrote out victim’s impact statements for my children.

Pages never read, found or included in the record.

I flinch every time the weight of these statements is mentioned in other cases.

What happened to ours and why?

So I decided to write them again:

Short Form

Victim’s Impact Statement

no words.

Long Form

Victim’s Impact Statement

Look me in the eye
And tell me
Why my grief is so insubstantial to you
Oh judge
Just bits of paper in the wind

Gone
Just missing…
All our intimate
words for sorrow and loss

Who Killed Antonio Santiago?

Posted on by
Reply

I remember being shocked and outraged by the original story–an unsuspecting mama is accosted by a couple of African American teens and her baby is murdered .

Appalling, right?

When the story re-surfaced meme-style as a defense for racism and murder I left it alone. I thought–tragic, but the assailants were charged.

Then my fellow child advocate, Miranda Yonts posted very quiet updates on the story.

It seems that there are other suspects in the case–the baby’s parents. Both tested positive for gunshot residue.

When you go back to the original story something stands out–the original suspects were tagged based on truancy records. Mama says–two black teens and the system finds two black teens. They might be guilty of nothing more serious than skipping school.

Four suspects. A terrible story. Who do you believe?

May 14th Attack in Port Lavaca

Posted on by
Reply

It is a quiet little neighborhood– close to the bay, an elementary school, a fire station. People felt safe there until the events of May 14th, 2013.

A local resident was brutally attacked sustaining significant injuries. Her assailant was wearing the mask pictured below.

When I first saw the mask I was afraid it was a dark and inappropriate joke. We are so accustomed to seeing the pixilated composite drawings of suspects–not the garish color of a menacing demon mask.

Do not be deceived. The mask is no joke. It is a powerful clue. Whoever attacked our friend and neighbor had been watching her, had planned his attack carefully, put a great deal of evil thinking into what he did.

I assume he is a man based on the strength and severity of the attack. I also assume that:

This mask is traceable.

He bought it somewhere.

Someone in our community can help solve this crime by providing
assistance into the origin of the mask.

Find the mask, find the man, stop the evil…before he can strike again.

Please.

Alanna Gallagher: two doors down from deadly

Posted on by
Reply

I have been praying for justice for Alanna Gallagher. No child should be tortured and murdered.

I am grateful for news of progress in her case. If allegations that her 17 year old neighbor is the prime suspect are true, all parents should take note. Predators watch their prey. Alanna was a victim of proximity to evil. How well do you know your neighbors?

And how well do they know you?