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By informing yourself about child
molestation, you can help your family avoid a
tragedy that besets hundreds
of thousands of families each year.
do not wish to admit, they must
realize their life is the
EXAMPLE
that the child will follow.
If
the
mother is of immoral character
and allows her boyfriend to 'move
in,' then it is certain the eight–
year-old will have her own boy–
friend .... Many single parents,
and married ones also, are so
wrapped up in 'self' that they
actually pawn their children off on
the pedophile...."
Who's to Blame?
A cartoonist, the late Walt Kelly,
once observed in his comic strip
Pogo,
"We has met the enemy, and
it is us." Few parents like to think
about their role in creating prob–
lems.
The rise in the number of
reported incidents of child sex
abuse has gane hand in hand with
the decline in self-restraint. While
the "have" nations extoll material
gains and the "I've got my rights"
attitude, they have failed to see
what the negtect of their responsi–
bilities has cost.
The increase in the number of
single-parent bornes and the num–
ber of women working outside the
borne have exposed more and more
chi ldren to a greater risk of sex
abuse.
The attitude of sexual liberality
that has developed since the early
champions of sexual freedom
espoused their doctrines has re–
moved many formerly binding
social restraints. Those who might
otherwise control certain urges
have gradually neglected the disci–
pline of self-control.
As one attorney in Richmond ,
Virginia, noted: "Our society has
Helping Children Explain
become more lax about kinky sex. I
t hink people who have repressed
t his in the past may now feel there
is less danger."
The sexually and morally de–
based society the Bible warned us
about l ,900 years ago is with us
today.
In a world such as we must live
in today, it is hard to imagine that
someday children will not have to
worry about the possibility of child
sex abuse; where all people can
grow and develop into contributing,
problem-solving individuals instead
of problem-ridden abusers and vic–
tims. Yet, happily, such a world is
coming!
We do have reason for hope.
With the sure restoration of God's
government on this earth, we will
one day be able to dwell in peace
and enjoy our families and watch
our future problem-solvers mature
into healthy, whole-minded young
men and women.
For a closer look at this new
age, why not write for our free
booklets
The Wonderful Wor/d
Tomorrow-What lt Wi/1 Be
Like
and
The /ncredible Human
Potential.
o
vocabulary otherwise
reqtJired to gel the
facts.
I
n the past, the aftermath
of abuse has been as
bad, if not worse, for a child
as the actual sex abuse
itself.
As a crime, child sex
abuse must be reported.
This means police and
social workers have to try
to get painful details from
the children. Many parents
have been unwilling to put
their children through
normal interrogation
methods and an even more
frightening situation of a
court trial.
New techniques have
been developed to help
children explain to law
enforcement officials the
details of the abuse,
and at the same time help
Angeles, has developed a
show-and-tell method of
reassuringly cajoling the
details of sex abuse out of
quite young victims in a
playful manner with puppets
Avideotape of the session
is then shown to the parents
and the child. This is the
phase in which the child sees
if he or she has the parents'
support. Support is the critica!
ingredient.
Many, however, have
fa iled to realize that children
need
to tell what has
happened to them in arder
to understand that they
were not at fault and that
they do not have to bear a
burden of guilt for the rest
of their lives.
14
Kee MacFarlane and her puppets: lt's OK to tell.
allay children's fear and
potentially harmful guilt.
Kee MacFarlane, a
therapist at the Children's
lnstitute lnternational in Los
and anatomically correct
dolls. This therapy eases
painful memories out of the
children yet doesn't require
them to have the explicit
This is also the phase in
which the relatively rare case
of children making up stories
of abuse can be uncovered.
This new technique has
been employed in cases in
Minneapolis, Los Angeles
and other U.S. cities with
major success. According to
~
The Sunday Times,
September 16, 1984, by
~
videotaping a show-and-tell
session using anatomically
correct dolls, then replaying
the tape to a suspect in
custody, the London
Metropolitan Police have
achieved a 100 percent
confession rate.
The
PLAIN TRUTH