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Cephallus · 03-18-2008, 10:32 AM

Thank you, Ellis, for your directness. With all of the moral ambiguity we see today, people do forget that there are some moral absolutes left...and the abuse of children is one of them. And that book is a great resource for both parents and people who work with kids. Awareness is the key...what's that quote, something to the effect of "sunlight is the best antiseptic."

A lot of people don't realize that sexual abuse of a minor is usually a very long process - it doesn't just 'happen' in a weak moment. Individuals who carry on 'relationships' with minors spend months, or even years, building the foundation for the abuse first.

One of the things that shocked me when I first got into working with youth sports was learning that there are organizations that actually help facilitate contact between adults looking to abuse children and their potential victims - they publish information about which organizations have policy guidelines that can be exploited by sexual predators and the best methods for working within them. One of the things I like about USA Hockey is that in addition to the required classes, they also perform a thorough background check on all persons seeking a coaching certification, at any level. And they do the same check every time you have to renew, which is every 2 years.

Locally, we had a sex offender move into our community with his parents, which generated a lot of local media coverage. There were protests in front of their house, signs put up, flyers handed out. He had been convicted of forcible sodomy on boys between the ages of 8 and 12, and all of the victims were kids he was coaching in youth sports. Several months after moving here, he was arrested again under suspicion of molesting boys that he was coaching in a softball league in an area about 20 miles from here.

As a parent, I always err on the side of caution. For example, when my son was invited on a camping trip with one of his friends around age 10, I was immediately guarded upon finding out that the only adult going was the other boy's father. Most likely, my son missed out on a fantastic experience with his friend and a genuinely caring dad who wanted to spend some quality time with a couple of really neat kids. But it's just not worth the risk.

03-18-2008, 10:32 AM	#27
Cephallus Dojo: judo only at the moment Location: SoCal Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 36 Offline	Re: Very Disturbing news about Clint George Thank you, Ellis, for your directness. With all of the moral ambiguity we see today, people do forget that there are some moral absolutes left...and the abuse of children is one of them. And that book is a great resource for both parents and people who work with kids. Awareness is the key...what's that quote, something to the effect of "sunlight is the best antiseptic." A lot of people don't realize that sexual abuse of a minor is usually a very long process - it doesn't just 'happen' in a weak moment. Individuals who carry on 'relationships' with minors spend months, or even years, building the foundation for the abuse first. One of the things that shocked me when I first got into working with youth sports was learning that there are organizations that actually help facilitate contact between adults looking to abuse children and their potential victims - they publish information about which organizations have policy guidelines that can be exploited by sexual predators and the best methods for working within them. One of the things I like about USA Hockey is that in addition to the required classes, they also perform a thorough background check on all persons seeking a coaching certification, at any level. And they do the same check every time you have to renew, which is every 2 years. Locally, we had a sex offender move into our community with his parents, which generated a lot of local media coverage. There were protests in front of their house, signs put up, flyers handed out. He had been convicted of forcible sodomy on boys between the ages of 8 and 12, and all of the victims were kids he was coaching in youth sports. Several months after moving here, he was arrested again under suspicion of molesting boys that he was coaching in a softball league in an area about 20 miles from here. As a parent, I always err on the side of caution. For example, when my son was invited on a camping trip with one of his friends around age 10, I was immediately guarded upon finding out that the only adult going was the other boy's father. Most likely, my son missed out on a fantastic experience with his friend and a genuinely caring dad who wanted to spend some quality time with a couple of really neat kids. But it's just not worth the risk.