Child Sex Abuse Should Never be Minimized

February 24, 2006

By: Robert P.M. Talach, Letters to the Editor, London Free Press

Beckett Personal Injury Office's Scales of Justice's article image

As an advocate for victims of sexual abuse, I feel a duty to comment on Geoff Matthews’ column, Molestation memories tainted with guilt (Feb. 17).

First, it must be made clear that childhood sexual abuse is a devastating experience. Experts from the medical, psychological and sociological fields all agree that abuse during those formative years causes permanent harm.

Second, the comparison of the abuse to just another part of growing up in the line “It’s just something that I went through, just as I went through falling down a lot when I was learning to ride a bike” is unhelpful. Any effort to minimize abuse can only lead to inaction. Every act of childhood sexual abuse should be met with intense condemnation.

Finally, victims are not out to “get even”. Most victims’ motivation is the protection of future generations of children. That goal is assisted by the public spotlight, through discourse such as this. Exposure of the problem makes all of us more vigilant; it makes institutions more accountable and sometimes even brings a perpetrator to justice.

And for that reason I thank Matthews for raising the topic in such a personal way.

Robert P.M. Talach

London

Vulnerable Victims

October 11, 2024

Vulnerable Victims

Sexual abuse is unfortunately a plague which spans all corners of the globe, all sexes and all socio-economic classes. That being said, those who have a pre-existing vulnerability can often find themselves the target of a perpetrator more often than others. From the poor fatherless boy in the parish to the already anxiety ridden teenager at the high school, these represent “targets” to offenders. Even adults in difficult phases of their lives, such as martial breakdown or a health crisis, can be vulnerable to abuse.

Read More
Disgraced former Winnipeg football coach sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexual assault

October 9, 2024

Disgraced former Winnipeg football coach sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexual assault

A disgraced former Winnipeg high school football coach convicted of sexual assault and luring will spend 20 years behind bars. The 54-year-old man had pleaded guilty in July 2023 of nine counts of sexual assault and two counts of luring.

Read More
‘Done keeping it a secret’: Young woman speaks out about stepdad's sex abuse

October 7, 2024

‘Done keeping it a secret’: Young woman speaks out about stepdad's sex abuse

For more than a decade, Hope Jordan felt like she had duct tape covering her mouth. Amid fears of ripping her family apart and pressure from her mother to keep quiet, Jordan felt she couldn’t talk about the years of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepdad, Ric Lahey, who was recently sentenced to seven years in prison.

Read More