More than “Thoughts and Prayers” for the Children – July 20, 2018

I learned something today that made me sick.

I know that thousands and thousands of children are sexually abused every year in the United States. I know that the perpetrator is most often someone known and trusted by the child and the family.  The stats we share in our “Protecting God’s Children” workshops are “11% of abuse is committed by strangers, 29% by biologically related family members, and 60% by others known to the victim.”

What I learned today was the startling amount of child-on-child sexual assault. The biggest age range of people committing sexual assaults against children are children ages 11-15.  In fact, the younger the victim, the more likely the molester was another child.

Here is a link to an article, “Sexual Assault Expert Warns of Heartbreaking Trend Among Children”  by Heidi Olson. Heidi is a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) at Children’s Mercy Hospital here in Kansas City.

Why do children abuse other children? Heidi writes, “Children don’t instinctively act out sexual violence on each other.  They don’t instinctively want to violate or push sexual boundaries with their siblings or younger children.  These things are learned.  Of course, some children who act out in sexually harmful ways have been victimized themselves, but… Many sexual assaults occur because of what young perpetrators have been exposed to via screens.”

That’s right. Pornography is more widespread, easily accessible and violent than ever before.

And our children – our YOUNG children – are viewing this violent pornography on their phones and laptops and then performing these sexual acts on other children.

In the past few weeks and months I have cried, prayed, marched and called my elected officials as I have learned of children shot to death in school and separated from their parents and put into cages at the southern border. I also was among the millions who prayed and hoped and followed the dramatic rescue of the Thai soccer team trapped in a cave.  What a glorious effort to save those children! 

Surely we can do something to help save children from sexual assault.

Among Heidi’s suggestions are these: + talk to children about pornography + prepare children to protect their bodies + educate others about online safety + raise awareness about the correlation between sexual assault and pornography.

I will keep doing what I can. The next “Protecting God’s Children” workshop here at St. Francis Xavier will be Sunday, August 12, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm (lunch included).  Contact me or go to www.virtus.org to register.