Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Basketball scandal developing in Syracuse _ Penn State affair triggers onset of trauma for other male survivors of abuse

No one will ask on that great and terrible Day,
"Was the reputation of your institution protected by
your smooth and deceptive maneuvers?"

Basketball scandal developing in Syracuse _ Penn State affair triggers onset of trauma for other male survivors of abuse:

POSTED BY JOELLE CASTEIX ON NOVEMBER 18, 2011 ·
http://www.snapnetwork.org/abuse_victims_group_blasts_syracuse_officials

It’s heartbreaking to read that a victim of a predatory Syracuse coach came forward to police and university officials years ago but nothing happened. It's the trifecta of betrayal - a predator who commits child sex crimes and an employer and a police department that seemingly do little or nothing to stop those crimes.

This is a painful reminder that even when the police are contacted with credible child sex abuse reports, the outcome is far from certain. We beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers in abuse cases to report to law enforcement and keep on reporting – as often and as long as possible – even though it’s extremely hard.

We commend Bobby Davis and Mike Lang for reporting Fine, subjecting themselves to questioning and scrutiny, and for doing so publicly, not anonymously. It’s very hard to disclose childhood victimization, but especially hard to do so in public and to accuse a prominent figure.

This awful situation is especially chilling to me. As a girl in high school in California, I was repeatedly sexually violated by my trusted, popular music teacher, Thomas Hodgman. He abused me, impregnated me, and gave me a sexually transmitted disease. I sued, won a $1.6 million settlement and got internal records showing that he admitted his crimes. Yet today, he teaches music at Adrian College in Michigan.


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