Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 27/Nov 10:00

Abusers and sex offenders

THE JEFFREY Epstein scandal in the USA should not be a shock. For hundred of years, wealthy, educated, religious and prominent people have been listed among the sex offenders. Unfortunately, many of these perverts remain "protected" and above the law. A few might be familiar with the terms "mother wound," "father wound" and "narcissistic wound." The common factors linking all these wounds is that there is abuse, hurt, neglect and hate, resulting in unimaginable pain and trauma. We need to identify "wounded" children and rescue them from hopelessness and pessimism. The wound represents incompleteness and emptiness. There are many of us who have been wounded and unhealed while others are not aware of the wound. Children are wounded when they are abused by their peers and adults. The troubling headline of an article in the Trinidad Guardian on May 7, 2016, was “Children abused at alarming rate.” The report revealed that for the past year more than 5,000 incidents of child abuse were committed in Trinidad and Tobago. Unbelievable! Some troubling questions remain: How many were abused before 2015? How many of these abused children received proper therapy? If children are still being abused, why is it not being regularly highlighted in the media? Many children are physically and emotionally abused in homes and schools. They are raped and sexually molested. And often these horrors are common among foster homes and orphanages. On October 8, five men, who were former residents of the local St Dominic’s Home (also known as the Belmont Orphanage) sued this Home, the Roman Catholic Church and state. The lawsuit outlined abuse they received at this Home. Adults need to be protective and responsible. Two weeks ago, there was a headline in Newsday, “Policewoman charged for beating schoolchild.” Recently, in May, a 73-year-old man from Colorado in the USA was sentenced to 210 years for sexually abusing boys in Haiti. The sordid events occurred at an orphanage the man had established in 1985 to care for poor and orphaned boys. There are other sordid incidents that have not been publicly exposed and these contribute to another generation of dysfunctional adults. Why must the traditional places of safety be breeding grounds for abuse and violence? Furthermore, young souls are constantly embarrassed, humiliated and condemned. These young victims experience low self-esteem and are at greater risk of being suicidal. This chaos and trauma have been created by fellow humans. We cannot continue to overlook and underestimate the unconscious and deliberate efforts in creating wounds among children. Yes, some children appear fortunate as they are surrounded by wealth and security but have been abused. Some might have attained a sound education and desirable occupation, but physical, emotional and/sexual abuse have contributed to personality disorders and character flaws. It’s not only emotional, physical, verbal and psychological abuse affecting these young souls. Substance abuse during pregnancy will adversely affect developing babies and infant health. Any form of abuse creates a wounded generation who will struggle to survive. The questions that arise are: Is the legislation merely superficial and not adequately protecting children? Should the government or non-governmental agencies immediately intervene and separate children from abusive guardians and biological parents? Or should the government seek psychological help for the parents and later reunite the child or children with the sane parents? Children must be removed from the environment and custody of troubled, mentally ill adults. Society should not harshly judge or ostracise these abused children. Our wounded children are often misunderstood and wrongly labelled. They are not failures. These wounded children might have a slow or rough start in life but they do not have to develop into failures or a burden to society. These children must be given access to counselling or therapy. They must be loved, motivated and taught how to transform their anger, depression and pain into success and personal growth. Each wounded child is unique and if given sufficient support and encouragement, he or she will be able to comfortably fit into society and make a worthwhile contribution. It seems that neither parents nor governments are fully prepared to nurture and guide children to adulthood. It’s expensive to create a customised education programme for each child, but teachers need to be mindful of the different coping mechanisms and the spectrum of mental aptitudes. Some soft-hearted people speak of forgiveness or being against the death penalty for child abusers and sex offenders. The rampant abuse leaves little room for compassion. Please safeguard the world’s innocent children…the future generation. The post Abusers and sex offenders appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.