Rape and Sexual Assault is abuse!!! Protect our Children

As the year ends, I thought we should reflect upon the rights of our children. I say this because I can’t seem to shake the bad taste in my mouth brought by recent news stories that continue to dominate the media about the abuse of our children. Just today, December 23, 2011, there was this story in the media about a mother who send her eight year old daughter into prostitution. An eight year old? Some of you must be wondering. Yes, indeed. The Huffington post ran a story about a Florida Mom, who allegedly offered up her 8-year-old daughter for prostitution. According to Panama City Police Sgt. Jeff Becker, Mims was at a Panama City business when she approached a random male stranger and offered her daughter to him for $100. Mims allegedly told the man that her daughter "would do anything the male wanted and would not tell anyone about it." God bless the man who displayed moral maturity by immediately reporting the incident to police. As Renee Willoughby, the executive board president of the  Gulf Coast Children's Advocacy Center, has correctly observed, "Everyone is horrified that this happened in our community, but, unfortunately, it is something that happens somewhere every day. It is just beyond words."

Not long ago, our news media was flashed by Penn State University scandal; when a trusted former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with 52 counts of sexually molesting boys. He was charged on November 5 with 40 counts of abusing eight boys over 15 years. On December 7, he was charged with a further 12 counts of abusing two other boys. What is sickening about this story is how irresponsible adults that were aware of the abuse were. What reason would any one give for not protecting a child from a pedophile? What kind of message are adults sending our young children? 

Before we dismiss this as an isolated case, we need to think hard and be real about the situation of our children. On December 23, 2011 as I was just preparing to post this blog, there appeared again another sexual assault story about a minor. Paul Daniel Kunzler, a 34 year old Utah man was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl. Kunzler, who is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County Jail on two counts of rape, three counts of sodomy and three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, was shot accidentally by his roommate. When the police conducted a search of the home he shared with four adult male roommates, they made a shocking discovery in the basement. They discovered a 13-year-old female hiding in a closet." Although it was not determined to whom the 13 year old belonged to, sexual assault of a minor was evident and Kunzler and his room maters were either aware of the abuse or involved.

One can only wonder what is happening to our social morals. When our society arrives at this sick place, we need to wake up the human in all of us. We need to do something to restore our morals.  Two fundamental questions to reflect about are:  First, how many cases like these exist out there that have not reported by the media? Second, what can we do as a community to stop this? I would like to hear from my readers. This abuse discussion seems like dejavu once again after going through sickening experience of how Catholic priests have abused young boys for a long time. We can only hope the situation is better in other congregations. Let us not forget the fact the most trusted members of our society are the ones that let us down. Parents and priests have not led by a good example. The controversy within the Catholic Church about Priests’ abuse of young boys is an area to begin.  If these priests are not held responsible for their actions the behavior cannot stop.   Similarly, parents must be held responsible for abusing or allowing their children to be abused.

It is my opinion that where trusted people in our society fail us, they should receive the ultimate punishment. Priests should be dismissed from their priestly roles while parents should be denied the opportunity to be a parent. If we cannot count on the most trusted members of our society – parents, pastors, Imams, Rabbis and other religious leaders – then our society needs to be refurbished.  Those with the spine to stand for humane values ought to do it to protect our society.  It is for this reason I write to implore our readers, especially religious leaders to advocate and protect our children. I believe my readers can do something to protect all children everywhere as well. If you see or suspect something is going on, do not dismiss it. Voice it!! Remember, where there is smoke, there often fire. Our children look upon us. Let’s not let them down.  Enjoy your happy holidays and I wish you all a prosperous, moral new year. To read more about the stories I referenced, visit the following links:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22/sue-ellen-mims-florida

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/13/us-usa-crime-coach

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/paul-kunzler-arrested-utah

God does not sanction abuse!!

It is interesting that some of the abuse we experience in our communities are justified by some religious leaders. For instance, some have been misled to believe that female genital cutting is sanctioned by religions such as Islam and sometimes Christianity. In some Muslims countries, honor killing is believed to be an injunction of Islam. This is not true!!

 Although in various religions such as Judaism, Islam and Christianity, the scripture is often used to justify submission of women such as insisting that women to stay in relationships such as marriage “until death do us part,” it is often forgotten that God cannot insist that you stay in an abusive relationships. Most people forget that all forms of abuse that are mentioned in the scripture are culturally based. In other words, they have nothing to do with the religious values the religion teaches. They are mere duplications of cultural practices of the communities in which these prophets lived. 

When you examine the fundamental values of most religions, they are based on love of all, justice and care of everyone. Most religions speak of compassion and how to care for our neighbors. Most religions promote the Golden rule. In Christianity for instance, the golden rule is frequently taught in the Gospels. Luke Gospel says: “Do unto others as your would have them do to you (Luke 6:31). All religious founders called upon their followers to promote social justice by caring for the oppressed. Don't you think it is contradictory to call for love of your neighbor and call for abuse at the same time? One of these statements is definitely true where religion is concerned. I think the similarities in all religions are the basis of how religious values are to be interpreted. Loving humankind is the fundamental love. Showing compassionate to each other is the ultimate value. partnership in relationships is the best relationship God would ask for. I believe that God would condemn any abusive relationship and ask those involved to part ways.

A good example here would be to look at how Jesus would respond. Jesus exemplified this when he condemned the Jewish culture that condoned the abuse of women. When an adulterous woman was brought to him for stoning according to the Jewish tradition (Lev.20:10), Jesus responded: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7). Realizing that stoning any human being is inhumane, Jesus protected the women. he did not to ignore the crime just because the Jewish law allowed it. he condemned a law that was discriminative, and abusive. He recognize the fact that this woman was human and that her human worth trumps any form of law. That is how a God thinks. Where God is involved, love prevails. Where God is not, abuse fails. if we are Godly, we should not allow any form of abuse to affect us, or our neighbors. That is what God would want us to do. Choose good, because God stands for good.  

Your friend, Mary