Why the silence? Child abuse expert weighs in

Why the silence? Child abuse expert weighs in
Anne Schindler, First Coast News August 25, 2015

Pedophiles can wield enormous influence over their victims – and their communities. That power often means the abuse is followed by years of silence.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- As became clear in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case at Penn State, pedophiles can wield enormous influence over their victims – and their communities. That power often means the abuse is followed by years of silence.

But child abuse expert Stacy Pendarvis says time – and even justice -- can help restore the balance of power.

Pendarvis is the program manager at the Monique Burr Foundation, a Jacksonville nonprofit that works to end all types of child victimization. She says that while the allegations in the Pak's Karate case may seem staggering, but they fit a familiar pattern – multiple victims, hundreds of incidents, over a period of many years.

"You think of priests pastors and teachers -- they use that position of power to totally manipulate their victims. That just tends to be the norm with pedophiles."

Perhaps the most confounding part of the pattern: silence.

"More often than not, they do not disclose as children. And that sad reality allows offenders to continue to offend year after year after year, and take on new victims."....
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/2015/08/25/why-kids-stay-silent/32357821/