A Statement from the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County on Recent Headlines Surrounding Sexual Abuse and Assault
At the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, we believe children when they disclose abuse. In our prevention education, we teach children that their bodies belong to them and that they can say no when something does not feel right.
Those lessons come with a promise: If you tell us, we will believe you. We will help you.
The news of the past week should make every adult ask whether we are keeping that promise as a community, as parents, as friends, and as humans.
A lawsuit against Cornell University and the reopening of a rape investigation involving seven fraternity brothers and 50 bystanders. And just this week, here in Massachusetts, a report released by the Attorney General with evidence that more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children across the Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester dioceses.
While the circumstances and legal histories are different, we believe there are three lessons around responsibility in these cases.
Believe victims.
When a child, friend, or family member tells us they have experienced abuse, we can begin with simple words: “Thank you for telling me. I believe you. This is not your fault. I’m here to help.”
We need to stop questioning what they wore, why they drank, why they stayed, or why they waited to tell.
We know that sexual harm takes different forms, including harassment, unwanted touching, coercion, exploitation, and assault. No one should have to compare their experience with a horrifying headline to decide whether they deserve help.
We know terrible things happen. We see the consequences in our work. What still shocks us is how often we must repeat that a person who reports harm deserves to be heard and supported, and that those responsible for their safety must act.
Support must remain available whether someone discloses immediately or decades later. Survivors need advocacy, medical and mental health care, and help understanding their options. Families need guidance. Institutions must investigate thoroughly, protect victims against retaliation, and address practices that allowed harm to continue.
Hold perpetrators accountable.
After #MeToo and the public attention surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and countless others, we should be further along. Awareness is not enough if we hesitate to act appropriately when a disclosure involves someone we admire, when speaking up could cost us a friendship or position, or when an institution’s reputation is at stake.
When society repeatedly protects powerful individuals and institutions at the expense of victims, we send a loud message to current and future victims of sexual assault.
Wealth and status can influence whose reputation people rush to defend. Someone whose story never reaches the news deserves the same care and commitment as someone whose experience draws national outrage.
The law plays an important role here, and policymakers must update laws when it's clear to them that an outdated law is preventing justice.
MA has shown a willingness to reform our laws to support victims, but there is more we can do. Massachusetts lawmakers have an opportunity to remove civil statute-of-limitations barriers for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The proposed legislation recognizes that the time it takes to disclose abuse should not determine whether a survivor can seek accountability.
Bystanders must speak up.
57 young men in a group chat had reason to believe their friend may be harming a young woman. 7 chose to participate in the assault. 50 looked the other way.
1,000 children were abused by 270 Catholic clerics across three dioceses in MA. Imagine how many people saw something, noticed a change in behavior from a child, heard whispers or even were told by a victim, but stayed silent.
Looking away can leave someone without protection when they need it most and leaves others at risk. We have a responsibility to speak up when we hear a disclosure, notice troubling behavior, or learn that a person may be unsafe. By speaking up, you are advocating for the victim but you also are helping to prevent further harm.
As an organization dedicated to children and families who have experienced abuse and exploitation, we see firsthand the impact of silence. We see how power, institutional loyalty, and fear of consequences can discourage people from speaking and keep others from acting.
We cannot ask children to be “brave” to speak out to ask for help while making excuses for our own silence.
What can you do to protect your children and teach them appropriate rules around consent?
We can begin by practicing the lessons we ask children to learn. When a child does not want a hug, respect that. When they describe something that made them uncomfortable, listen. Teach them the names for their body parts and help them identify trusted adults they can turn to. Make clear that they will not be in trouble for telling, even if they broke a rule or someone told them to keep a secret.
Body safety education must come with adult responsibility. Children cannot carry the burden of preventing their own abuse.
The headlines are new. The harm is not.
Sexual violence happened centuries ago. It happened yesterday. It is happening today. We see the lasting trauma of abuse and how its effects can reach across generations. We also see what becomes possible when someone is believed, supported, and surrounded by people committed to helping them heal.
We have asked generations of survivors to speak up. Many have done so at enormous personal cost. The next step belongs to the rest of us. We have to believe them, support them, and act. The promise we make to children must hold when keeping it becomes difficult.
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