To Survivors of Serial Child Rapist Jerry Sandusky

I watched Pacino do “Paterno” last night as an elderly, uncomprehending conspirator at the end of his life waking up to a realization that he would forever be known for what he did not do. Whether or not it was fair to the man himself, survivors of serial child rapist Jerry Sandusky deserved better than the selfish moral deflection that continues to this day and impedes the healing of hundreds.

Shame on those who turned a blind eye. They may have been good to other people in other ways, but they failed miserably when it came to protecting the vulnerable. Imagine if just one of them had stood in front the survivors of serial child rapist Jerry Sandusky and said:

“This was in no way your fault. It was wrong and life-changing in a hurtful and challenging way. You are incredibly brave to have survived this awful thing. I am so sorry. Always remember. The shame is not on you but those of us who failed you. Shame on us!

“We have failed you so terribly. You did not deserve this. We will do everything in our power to help you heal. We will help you sort out your emotions while we continually acknowledge our complicity and seek forgiveness but never expect it.”

“You have been traumatized because of our sheer unwillingness to stop people like serial child rapist Jerry Sandusky. Instead, we left it to you. We failed you miserably.

“We will see to it from this moment on that you are safe from such predators as serial child rapist Jerry Sandusky. We will provide the lifelong therapy, and the physical and emotional training you will need to navigate this trauma and deal with lingering injuries. We will provide the education of your choice.

“We will personally pay for a memorial honoring each of you as survivors, and reminding us to never, ever fail this way again. We will invite survivors to work with artists to help this process provide a modicum of catharsis. We will provide the space for this as well as a center for support groups and an academic program focused on the personal and societal impact of childhood rape and its pervasiveness.

“This program will emphasize the use of unmitigated terms for child rape. It will be made clear that ‘molest’ means sexual violation. We will facilitate ongoing awareness of the words, signals and behaviors that demand further attention so that never again will someone credibly be able to plead ignorance for doing nothing.”

“Above all, we are sorry. We acknowledge there is no gradation of guilt here. We have failed you. We have failed ourselves and our communities. We have failed, and we will now commit our lifetime to learning from this failure rather than defending it.”

What survivors got instead was the leadership of one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country turning “child rape” into “horsing around.”

The rape of a child is incomprehensible to all civilized and decent human beings. Many people would be traumatized if they accidentally witnessed a 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound man raping a 10-year-old. In fact, if they didn’t tell someone else right away, they may even convince themselves they didn’t see what they saw.

Courses on how to respond should be as ubiquitous as CPR classes, if not more so. Every one of serial child rapist Jerry Sandusky’s survivors received a life sentence of trauma that if not addressed, can be just as deadly as a heart attack.

May you all get the care and healing you do deserve.