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The Secret Sin
by
Ronald D. Kelly
The problem of battered women and children must
be understood, dealt with and solved.
T
HERE
are sorne subjects
so gruesome that hu–
man s don 't want to
hear about them.
Yet in our world of increasing
violence,
thes~
problems must
be faced.
Tbe rising tide of domestic vio–
lence, wbicb includes wife beating,
April 1984
child beating and even beating of
aging parents, has forced the public
to become aware of what, in the
past, has been a behind-closed–
doors, secret sin.
No Longer Secret
Thi s once- hidden sin is still
extremely di fficult to discuss pub–
licly. But discuss it we must.
While this article was being
prepared for the press,
I
noticed a
Los Angeles, California, television
station had announced a week–
long segment of tbeir evening
news would be devoted to the
problem of battered women.
I
tuned in.
The reporter who had worked
on the project began the broadcast
something like this: "When our
program planners suggested a seg–
ment on battered women, no one
wanted the task of investigat ing
this horrible social problem. We
all knew we would find shocking
stories, fear, isolation, tears and
pain. But we also knew it was our
journaJistic responsibility to make
the public aware of the severity of
th is problem."
1 knew how that reporter felt.
It is far easier to turn to some–
thi ng much more pleasant to
write. But once one focuses on the
tragedy of family abuse, no one
can shake it from the mind. And
by reporting it, we hope tbat
maybe, just maybe, someone will
be helped. T hat sorne of the
abused can escape their plight.
We even hope that those who are
doing the abusing will somehow
see the need to change.
Worldwide in Scope
Our regional office managers
around the world investigated this
problem in their areas.
T he truth confirmed our suspi–
cions-it is indeed a shocking
worldwide problem. From Europe,
Australia, Sou th America, Afri–
ca- it mattered not where- atten–
tion has been awakened to the
problem of battered women and
other tragic family abuses.
Our West German office sent in
translation this official report from
the Federal Ministry for Youth,
Family and Health: "From the
beginning of the project [a center
for abused women and children in
Berlín], approximately 2,500
women, and just as many children,
carne to the abuse center for pro–
tection and help in a seemingly
hopeless situation. The center was
constantly overcrowded- some–
thing that almost all abuse bornes
for women experience shortly after
their establishment....
"The experience of the women's
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