Watershed Moments in the Fight for Justice for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Last week brought three watershed moments in the fight to bring accused pedophiles and their protectors to justice. Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 out of 48 charges of child sex abuse. Monsignor Lynn was convicted on 1 out of 3 charges of covering up abuse by pedophile priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes charged four Hasidic Jewish men with attempting to intimidate a witness in a child sexual abuse case after the D.A. was besieged by accusations of long-term deferential treatment of Rabbinic leaders who protect those accused of child sexual abuse in their Brooklyn Orthodox Jewish community.

The Washington Post June 22, 2012:

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky leaves court in handcuffs after being convicted in his child sex abuse trial at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The New York Times June 23, 2012:
Monsignor William J. Lynn, walking into court before the verdict reading. Monsignor Lynn was the first senior official of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States to be convicted for covering up child sexual abuses by priests.
Photo by Matt Rourke/AssociatedPress

The New York Times June 22, 2012

The Brooklyn district attorney, Charles J. Hynes, who has been facing public criticism about his handling of sexual abuse allegations in the Williamsburg Orthodox Jewish community, on Thursday charged four men with attempting to silence an accuser by offering her and her boyfriend a $500,000 bribe, and threatening to take away the kosher certification of her boyfriend’s business.

Photo by Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

How appropriate that this all comes during PTSD Awareness Month, since post-traumatic stress disorder is such a common disorder for child sexual abuse survivors. Today has been designated as National PTSD Awareness Day by the United States Senate. Let's take a moment today to celebrate these watershed moments that can help child sexual abuse survivors feel more hopeful that our society is beginning to take their plight more seriously and hold abusers and their protectors accountable for all the suffering they have caused. 


Loss of hope is a common consequence for sexual abuse survivors that were not protected by the people that they trusted, whether it be coaches, clergy, law enforcement, teachers or family. Hopelessness makes it harder for survivors with PTSD to follow through with seeking help.  Renewed hope that there is justice in the world may be just what PTSD sufferers need in order to feel more hopeful that they can trust someone to help them to heal.


What do you think? What are your reactions to the above court cases? Do you have a different perspective that you would like to share?  I would love to hear from you.

You might also be interested in reading my November, 2011 post: "Reflections on the Penn State Sexual Abuse Scandal and a Call to Action". http://andreabgoldberg.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html