Staying on my soap box

Deep within my soul lies a passion for justice. I come by this naturally, as both my parents often get fired up in defense of "the little guy."

Over the last week or so, we've all been getting fired up over a little guy. The cause, "Jacob's Law," is being spearheaded by my friend from high school, Sarah Corder Guggisberg. Jacob's Law is a piece of proposed legislation in Minnesota that would require notification of both parents when child sexual abuse is discovered. 

Jacob

In a nutshell, Sarah's son Jacob was sexually abused by a neighbor while Jacob was at his dad's house for parental visitation. He was 6 years old. Jacob's father, Sarah's ex-husband, was notified of the abuse when it happened and again later when the abuser confessed; but Sarah was never notified, even though she had legal custody of Jacob. Her ex declined multiple times to press charges against the perpetrator (a juvenile), who ended up going to trail and being sentenced anyway because he had also abused 10 other kids. But Jacob was forced to deal with this horrible secret -- and the accompanying guilt, shame, sadness and fear -- alone. For FOUR YEARS.

Sarah was completely in the dark about the abuse until Jacob finally revealed some of what happened, four years after the fact. Rightly so, Sarah was (and is) outraged. Had she known about the abuse after it happened she could have immediately placed Jacob into therapy. Now, he is 12, has attempted suicide twice and spent time at different mental health facilities. It is beyond comprehension why county authorities failed to tell Sarah about the abuse, particularly since she is Jacob's primary guardian and has legal custody.

I have told Sarah that I will help her get the word out about this issue through all possible means. Sarah is currently working with a local lawmaker to research Minnesota state statutes and craft the legislation. She has set up a group on Facebook and a petition on whitehouse.gov, challenging the Obama administration to make the crisis of child sexual abuse a national priority.

I have sent emails to family and friends with the link to the petition. I would encourage everyone who is reading this blog to register with whitehouse.gov and sign it. All the statistics in the petition are from a website called Darkness to Light.

As several of you know, I work for a children's theatre company (Theatre IV) that produces a touring show called Hugs and Kisses,Virginia's primary child sexual abuse prevention and intervention program for elementary students. It is now in its 28th year of touring to elementary schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has been seen by 1.4 million students since its inception and has directly helped over 13,000 children. Hugs and Kisses is a musical play that sensitively and inoffensively tells the story of a girl who is being abused. Throughout the course of the show, she, her friends and Hugs the Dog learn important lessons that enable her to break her silence and obtain help from a trusted adult. This program has won numerous state and national awards for its enormous positive impact on children's health and abuse prevention. I wish every state had this play as part of their educational curriculum.

Some quick facts about child sexual abuse:

• 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 to 7 boys are sexually abused by the age of 8, and 20% of child sexual abuse victims are under the age of 8
• There are currently more than 39 million survivors of sexual abuse in America 
• More than 90% of abusers are people children know, love or trust
• Only 4-8% of child sexual abuse reports are fabricated, and most fabricated reports are made by adults involved in custody disputes
• The crime of child sexual abuse costs U.S. tax payers over $35 billion annually

Child sexual abuse is real. It knows no geographic, cultural, racial or socioeconomic bounds. It is happening in cities and rural areas across the country. But it can be PREVENTED. Darkness to Light has "7 Steps to Protecting Our Children from Sexual Abuse," which I urge every parent to read and follow.

As advocates, one of the most important things we can do is TALK. The subject of sexual abuse has been taboo for too long, which has only exacerbated the problem. The more we talk, Tweet, Facebook and blog about it, the more success we will have in eliminating this heinous crime.

Don't step off your soapbox.............................. LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!