Child abuse and child rape are not about party or politics

[BainsBane]

Child sexual abuse is far too common, and people from all walks of life engage in it.

The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported; experts agree that the incidence is far greater than what is reported to authorities. CSA is also not uniformly defined, so statistics may vary. Statistics below represent some of the research done on child sexual abuse.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau report Child Maltreatment 2010 found that 9.2% of victimized children were sexually assaulted (page 24).

Studies by David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, show that:

1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse;
Self-report studies show that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males recall a childhood sexual assault or sexual abuse incident;
During a one-year period in the U.S., 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized;
Over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized;
Children are most vulnerable to CSA between the ages of 7 and 13.
According to a 2003 National Institute of Justice report, 3 out of 4 adolescents who have been sexually assaulted were victimized by someone they knew well (page 5).

http://www.victimsofcrime.org/media/reporting-on-child-sexual-abuse/child-sexual-abuse-statistics

The outrage against Josh Duggar is justified. Allegations and charges against Democrats and liberals should be taken every bit as seriously. For the children victimized, the political affiliation of their abuser does not matter in the least. Nor should it matter for the general public. Sadly, I have seen people defend liberals accused of similar acts while automatically assuming the worst of conservatives. The crime is not in voting for a different party; it is in raping and assaulting children. Remember that the next time a prominent liberal is accused of child abuse or rape. Think about the victims rather than whatever it is that might prompt you to assume someone you admire couldn't possibly be guilty. Standing up for the safety of children requires holding everyone to the same standard, not making excuses based on your assessment of the alleged perpetrators politics.

[Buzz Clik]

1. Agreed 100%, and we need to keep this properly focused.

The Pic of the Day showing various Republican presidential hopefuls posing with Duggar misses the point and potentially misdirects the conversation. We don't need to be discussing whether or not Sarah Palin knew of the problem but supported the family anyway (although Huckabee gleefully volunteered that information ). Instead, we need to keep pounding the message that you brought home:

The outrage against Josh Duggar is justified. Allegations and charges against Democrats and liberals should be taken every bit as seriously. For the children victimized, the political affiliation of their abuser does not matter in the least.

[uppityperson]

5. I think the pict of the day is about hypocrisy. eom

[Buzz Clik]

11. Could be.

I literally was told who the Duggar family is 10 minutes ago. I get the context now.

It doesn't change the nature of child abuse (or that it happened in this case when the kid was a minor).

[libdem4life]

2. It's about Power and Control. Sometimes it's women, or gays, or racial, or size, or smaller

adults, children, money etc. It crosses all racial and political boundaries. But it is not coincidence that there is a political party whose base is about power and control...keeping things the way they are...not capable of seeing outside of their own box...and I could go on.

Hypocrisy is rampant where perfection is demanded and, of course, not attained by humans. Do as I say, not as I do.

Social Services do not get involved 1) if one parent objects 2) if it's all in the family because it becomes a Hydra 3) they have to work with those who they can help. Many a psychologist and social worker have had to walk away from a horrible situation...literally, unless there are bleeding body parts as proof or photos of the act. (Even then, it's much like the killing of a black man.) Without that...see above. And even then, the express mission of Social Services (at least in California) is to reintegrate the wounded back into the family.

[BainsBane]

3. Remember Woody Allen's daughter Dylan?

A lot of people here defended Allen and called Dylan a liar. One even said SHE was the abuser, regardless of what Allen did to her as a child because he has some movie coming out.

There is all kinds of hypocrisy to go around. The GOP has no monopoly on it. I have seen people routinely argue that child rape is less serious because it isn't "forced." So-called liberals use the same justifications for types of rape and assault than conservatives do. It is about power, and the kind of power it promotes is far more pervasive and intractable than political power: patriarchy.

[libdem4life]

6. I do remember and then he married his adopted daughter. I never heard of the Liberal justification,

...are you thinking of Hollywood? Then it makes more sense as they tend to be more liberal. But I did try and stay away from the other "P" word, although it usually is who is at the top of the chain.

[BainsBane]

7. no, actually

a year or so ago it was all over DU. Dylan wrote a public letter (NYTimes or some such publication) and many here circled the wagons around Woody Allen. Do a search for Woody Allen in the bar above and you'll find many threads.

This was about his biological daughter who was 6 at the time. Not Soon Yi, Mia's adopted daughter.

[libdem4life]

8. No, I didn't know. I've only been active recently here. I do remember they were trying to blame

it on Mia as revenge in the tabloids. "Here honey, write down what I tell you, OK?" Not. Actually, when there is a divorce/custody fight, that tactic often works...again, especially in California...blame the Mom. The Soon Yi situation was creepy too, coming right on the heels.

[BainsBane]

9. It was definitely creepy

and enough to put me off him. When all that was on DU I read the judge's legal ruling in the case. There was significant evidence she was molested. He took her away in private, when he had a court order prohibiting him from doing so, and she came back without panties. She was the one who told a family friend, who in turn told Mia. Dylan then again recounted the incident to CT police.
The ruling I read was from the family court judge. CT didn't press charges, but it was clear the family court judge believed Dylan. That excuse about Mia was the argument given by Allen's attorney's, and people adopted it as fact and refused to read the court findings.

[justiceischeap]

4. Roman Polanski comes to mind. nt

[Arugula Latte]

10. In this case there is a big element of party and politics because this family has made

a fortune by presenting themselves as strongly Republican religiously perfect and morally upright people who scold and look down upon those they consider deviates and actively work to get legislation passed to hinder the rights of people they consider undeserving of equality because of their sicko, sexist, homophobic beliefs which they justify with the wildly twisted Big Book of Magical Jesus and Other Fairy Tales.

So, yes, child rape is the underlying issue, but there are many other related issues in this instance.