Why is Sexual Abuse Overlooked?

As the Jerry Sandusky trial continued this past week over allegations of child sexual abuse, it has fueled the discussion of how do tragedies like this go on without anyone saying anything, especially when there are indications that personnel with authority had suspicions of what was taking place.  The Catholic Church suffered a scandal that still plagues them years later where priests who were accused of sexual assault were simply relocated without a word of warning.  There are questions of how much coach Joe Paterno knew was going on with Jerry Sandusky at Penn State.  Recently, reports have surfaced of sexual abuse by multiple teachers at a school in New York, Horace Mann, with suspicion on whether or not the head of the school was aware.  When people are so outraged by child sexual abuse, why then does no one act in cases like these?

Part of the reason is because the offenders don't fit the "profile" or picture that most people have of a sexual predator.  To most people, a sexual predator is a scary man in a white van looking to lure you in with the promises of toys and candy.  People believe predators are the outcasts of society, unable to work a decent job and so anti-social that there isn't a possibility they could be friends with one.  They're someone who easily stands out and we can point to for children to warn them of.  But as stated in previous blog entries, that is far from the case.

Why then do people still believe the "profile?"  It's because it helps us feel safe.  When bad people don't look like us it's easier to recognize them.  It's not comfortable to feel like anyone around you could not be what they seem.  People don't want to believe the victim in these cases because it would mean the monsters have gotten through the walls.  It would mean it could just as well have happened to us.  So instead, victims are shunned and blamed, not by everyone, but even if one person does it's too many.  You can find families that are divided when allegations surface against another family member.  The victims in the Jerry Sandusky trial have been accused of making false allegations for money.  Instead of listening to a victim people build more walls between us and them, except nobody realizes they are blocking themselves in with a sexual predator.