By Randy Ellison
OregonLive.com
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The intent of House Bill 3057 is to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations on felony sex crimes committed by an adult against a minor. Thirteen other states have no statute of limitations on this heinous crime. They treat it the same as murder, and if you are a survivor of such a crime, you understand why.
Studies have shown that most victims of sexual abuse don’t tell anyone what happened to them for years, if ever. Often, it’s only after years of therapy that they feel able to report what happened. One study states that the average age for reporting child sexual abuse is 42.
Under current law, 12 years after such a crime is first reported, or once the victim turns 30, society tells the perpetrator that what he or she did to a child is no longer important to us. And we tell the victim you were supposed to be able to deal with this sooner and since you didn’t, we’re sorry but we need to protect the rights of the abuser to come to trial sooner. Even though you most likely will suffer the rest of your life.
Opponents of changing the law say it’s not fair to eliminate the statute of limitations, because memories fade, witnesses die and an accused won’t be able to mount a defense. In criminal law, the prosecution bears the heavy burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the evidence is not available and strong, no prosecutor will bring charges.
Our prisons are full of survivors of child sexual abuse. Our alcohol and drug clinics are full of them. And our mental health facilities are full of them, too. What would our culture look like if we addressed the problem of child sexual abuse head on? What happens if survivors talk about what happened to them and gain access to their souls again? What if we stem the tide of new victims? Of the 50,000 new babies born in Oregon each year, we can expect 10,000 of them to be sexually abused before they turn 18. We can leave the system the way it is and create future dysfunctional adults every day, or we can say enough is enough. We have the opportunity to decide which future we want.
HB3057 is the equivalent of an emancipation proclamation to survivors of sexual abuse by taking the yoke of shame off victims and putting it where it belongs. Survivors will no longer be held responsible by society for the crimes committed against them.
Due to a combination of shame, fear and dissociation, I first told about my abuse when I was 57. Believe me when I say I didn’t “wait” to tell. Partially due to what is called the grooming process, I didn’t even comprehend that a crime had been committed against me by my minister, friend and mentor until I had been in therapy for several months.
We can have laws that support and protect our children, or ones that defend perpetrators. It’s time to make our laws match our values.
Randy Ellison of Ashland is president of Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service and a member of the Child Abuse Network in Medford.
By Randy Ellison
OregonLive.com
Wednesday, April 13 2011
The intent of House Bill 3057 is to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations on felony sex crimes committed by an adult against a minor. Thirteen other states have no statute of limitations on this heinous crime. They treat it the same as murder, and if you are a survivor of such a crime, you understand why.
Studies have shown that most victims of sexual abuse don’t tell anyone what happened to them for years, if ever. Often, it’s only after years of therapy that they feel able to report what happened. One study states that the average age for reporting child sexual abuse is 42.
Under current law, 12 years after such a crime is first reported, or once the victim turns 30, society tells the perpetrator that what he or she did to a child is no longer important to us. And we tell the victim you were supposed to be able to deal with this sooner and since you didn’t, we’re sorry but we need to protect the rights of the abuser to come to trial sooner. Even though you most likely will suffer the rest of your life.
Opponents of changing the law say it’s not fair to eliminate the statute of limitations, because memories fade, witnesses die and an accused won’t be able to mount a defense. In criminal law, the prosecution bears the heavy burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the evidence is not available and strong, no prosecutor will bring charges.
Our prisons are full of survivors of child sexual abuse. Our alcohol and drug clinics are full of them. And our mental health facilities are full of them, too. What would our culture look like if we addressed the problem of child sexual abuse head on? What happens if survivors talk about what happened to them and gain access to their souls again? What if we stem the tide of new victims? Of the 50,000 new babies born in Oregon each year, we can expect 10,000 of them to be sexually abused before they turn 18. We can leave the system the way it is and create future dysfunctional adults every day, or we can say enough is enough. We have the opportunity to decide which future we want.
HB3057 is the equivalent of an emancipation proclamation to survivors of sexual abuse by taking the yoke of shame off victims and putting it where it belongs. Survivors will no longer be held responsible by society for the crimes committed against them.
Due to a combination of shame, fear and dissociation, I first told about my abuse when I was 57. Believe me when I say I didn’t “wait” to tell. Partially due to what is called the grooming process, I didn’t even comprehend that a crime had been committed against me by my minister, friend and mentor until I had been in therapy for several months.
We can have laws that support and protect our children, or ones that defend perpetrators. It’s time to make our laws match our values.
Randy Ellison of Ashland is president of Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service and a member of the Child Abuse Network in Medford.
After keeping his secret for more than 40 years, Randy Ellison now is ‘willing to be the face of male sexual abuse victims’.
By Sanne Specht
Ashland contractor Randy Ellison never told a soul what the preacher did to him. Not when the sexual abuse started. Not when it ended. Not even when the fallout nearly destroyed his life.
“My secret became shrouded in guilt and shame,” Ellison said. “I questioned life and had regular thoughts of suicide until I was 30.”
Ellison was 15 when a charismatic youth minister began sexually abusing him. For more than 40 years, Ellison remained silent about the devastation wrought by the trusted leader in his community — a 40-year-old married man with children of his own.
“My life was taken totally off track,” said Ellison, 59. “You don’t just move on from sexual abuse as a child. Not without help.”
Statistics show that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday, said Marlene Mish, director of the Children’s Advocacy Center. It is estimated that at least 39 million Americans are survivors of child sexual abuse. Using that number, one can estimate that more than 25,000 residents of Jackson County were victims of child sexual abuse, she said.
Male victims of sexual abuse live lives that are broken in ways others cannot even imagine, Ellison said.
“We live in a world of guilt, shame and secrets,” he said. “Many of us find we are uncomfortable in our own skin. And yet we do not even know why. Most victims never tell a soul what happened to them. Many never admit it to themselves.”
Ellison remembers the 1960s as an era filled with folk music, peace, love and idealism. It was Ellison’s mother who insisted he attend the popular church. Ellison was not to become “crude” or “a drinker,” like his father. She wanted the minister to provide an upstanding male role model for her impressionable young son.
“Somehow in between this, he insinuated himself and his perversions. Perversions he disguised as love,” said Ellison.
Secrecy and shame are two powerful psychological weapons pedophiles wield to keep their victims silent. While it is hard for any child to speak about sexual abuse, it can be particularly difficult for boys because they face greater social stigma. Boys often question their own sexuality and often are rejected by the males within their own families, she said.
“There are pretty good reasons why boys don’t tell,” said Mish.
Ellison’s willingness to tell his own story of abuse, survival and evolution to become a victims’ advocate “takes incredible courage,” she said.
“I have a lot of respect for him,” Mish said.
Ellison chooses not to discuss graphic details of his abuse. He doesn’t know why it started, or even why it ended. He simply tried to “lock it all away,” he said.
“People get all hung up on what happened and how it happened,” said Ellison. “But that’s not what it’s about. It’s about what it does to you. The distortions that it makes in your life. What a relationship, sex and love come to mean.”
Ellison’s mother died a few months after he married at age 20. He and his wife of 38 years, Helen, had two daughters and now have several grandchildren. Throughout the ensuing decades, Ellison kept his secret locked inside himself.
“I neither trusted nor confided in anyone,” he said.
Ellison also became hardened toward himself. He buried his vulnerabilities.
“I needed to be in control at all times,” he said. “I was a rigid and minimally involved father, and a distant partner to my wife. Even though I stayed married with a family, I lived my life mostly alone.”
Ellison quit his job as a lumber wholesaler and moved his family to Ashland in 1999.
“I’ve had five different major careers in five different cities and have moved my family to 18 different homes,” he said.
Ellison increasingly turned to mood-altering substances to cope. He eventually became “a full-blown alcoholic and drug addict,” he said.
Over 80 percent of child abuse victims are or have been addicted to alcohol or drugs. Many suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome, said Mish.
Ellison said the invisible victims of child sexual abuse are our collective family members. We go to church with them. We sit on boards with them. We stand in line at the grocery store with them. We see them at the gym.
“You do not see that most of us are totally incapable of something as basic as trust of another human being,” he said.
Three years ago, Ellison’s teen grandson was experiencing emotional difficulties in the aftermath of a divorce. Ellison realized that to help his grandson, he would have to face his own fears.
Ellison’s first step toward reclaiming his soul was telling another minister about his past abuse. His next step was finding a counselor who specializes in helping victims of sexual abuse.
“I went to counseling for three months before I could actually say I was sexually abused by my minister and name him as a predator,” said Ellison.
Six months later Ellison filed a formal complaint with the church that led to his abuser being defrocked.
“But it was obvious to me the church still didn’t get it,” Ellison said.
He filed a lawsuit with the church and settled out of court. The frustrating experience included a fair amount of revictimization, said Ellison. His suit was settled in mediation for an undisclosed amount — as well as a couple of private meetings with the church bishop.
“I believe that (the bishop) and I laid the groundwork for more understanding between the church and future victims, as well as the beginning of some concrete programs where the church will play a major role in increasing awareness and educating members about child sexual abuse,” Ellison said.
Ellison continues to work to heal himself and his relationships with his family members.
He also wants to change the legal system to “make it easier for the victims and harder on the perpetrators,” he said. Last year, Ellison told his story publicly for the first time when he testified before the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee. Last week, he spoke before the Jackson County commissioners. On Wednesday, Ellison will speak at a noontime rally in Medford’s Vogel Plaza sponsored by the Jackson County Child Abuse Network.
“My goal is to make a difference,” Ellison said. “I have made a commitment to myself that I am willing to be the face of male sexual abuse victims.”
Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or e-mail sspecht@mailtribune.com.
Event Details:
What: Rally in support of creating a safe community for children
When: Noon, Wednesday, April 14
Where: Vogel Plaza, at the corner of Central Avenue and Main Street, Medford. Participants are asked to wear blue.
Sponsored by: Jackson County Child Abuse Network
We were best friends, deeply in love and happily married for 17 years. Like most couples, we shared our hopes and dreams. Our secret desires and our fears.
Or so I thought.
We’d fought Bill’s cancer together and won — at least the first time. Multiple surgeries and several courses of chemo left many scars on his body. One ran in a half-circle from below his hip to just under his heart. I gently traced my fingers across the jagged pink line. He joked he should come with a label “parts missing.”
Bill’s remark made me laugh, and also want to cry.
“You have all the best parts left,” I said. “You still have your heart. And mine.”
But as courageous as Bill was about life’s challenges, there was one horrible scar my seemingly happy-go-lucky husband simply couldn’t share with me. With anyone.
Bill had been sexually abused as a young boy.
I found out almost accidentally — after we’d been married for seven years. After the first bout with cancer. After we’d moved five times. After his secret had begun to take a toll on our marriage and my self-esteem.
The fallout of child sexual abuse affects not only the victim. The damage is widespread and generational.
I knew Bill’s sister had been sexually abused. And his mother. They were both very candid about the trauma and its after-effects in their lives.
But I was stunned beyond words when Bill’s younger sister dropped the bomb one day. The teenage boy who had repeatedly abused her as a young child also had molested Bill.
“You mean he didn’t tell you?” she asked.
No. Bill hadn’t told me. But why? We shared everything. Or so I thought.
Just hours later, I was peppering Bill with questions.
“Is it true?” I asked. “What happened? When did it happen? Did you tell anyone?”
Bill turned white as a ghost. A blank mask descended over his face, separating us like a thick sheet of ice.
“It only happened once,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about it. I can’t.”
Becoming a freaked out — albeit loving — grand inquisitor was probably the worst possible approach. But I had had no experience dealing with post-traumatic stress victims. I simply wanted to get this out in the open so we could “fix it.” Together.
Bill gave me no answers. Or so I thought.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “I can’t talk about it. It’s not that I won’t. I can’t. It all goes blank.”
Statistics show that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday, according to local social service workers.
Bill was the bravest man I have ever known. But for whatever reason, he never found the courage to face his abuse. And his dark secret cast shadows over us in ways that are too complicated to explain in a single column.
Ten years after his death, I have come to understand that, as a rule, boys do not tell. Even after they are grown. Some will not. Some cannot. Not without the right kind of help. Bill never got that help. And then he ran out of time.
In Monday’s Mail Tribune, we will feature a story about a local man who also was a victim of child sexual abuse. But after 40 years of silence, this man found the courage to face his demons. He got the support of a good therapist and now is working to heal himself, his family and fellow victims of child sexual abuse.
I wish Bill could have met him. I wish they could be working together as advocates, protecting other young boys and girls.
Each of us has a role to play in protecting our community’s children. Last year, 662 children in Jackson County were confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect.
On Wednesday, April 14, you can take a stand against these preventable tragedies by attending the noon rally in Vogel Plaza sponsored by the Jackson County Child Abuse Network.
Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or sspecht@mailtribune.com.
Why the Grand Jury Probe Should Be Welcomed, Not Criticized
By MARCI A. HAMILTON
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009
FindLaw
Recently, it was announced that Los Angeles United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien was starting a grand jury investigation into allegations of a child sex abuse coverup by the Catholic Church’s Los Angeles Archdiocese. The announcement was met with consternation and defensive cries from various Catholic quarters. Before they drown out the larger public good, however it is worthwhile to spend some time with the facts – which, I will argue, show that a grand jury investigation is exactly what should be occurring now.
Professor Kmiec’s Argument: The Claims of Abuse Were “Well-Litigated”
Pepperdine law professor Douglas Kmiec (who has also been a guest columnist on this site) quickly posted a lengthy critique on Catholic Online, arguing that “wading into this already well-litigated matter gives every appearance of ‘piling on.’” In support of his claim, he pointed to the fact that the Archdiocese settled civil claims with over 500 victims for a total of $660 million. The fact, though, is that the claims never were “well-litigated.” Kmiec is right about one thing: The end result was a settlement, not hundreds of trials, which would have released mountains of information to the public.
The apparent reasons behind the settlement are very pertinent: First, early on, the church hierarchy succeeded in getting many claims consolidated together, so as to avoid individual litigation. Many survivors wanted their day in court and opposed consolidation, but this procedural move by the hierarchy meant that large collections of cases were treated as though they were single cases with judges overseeing many at one time. That way, the hierarchy could argue to reduce per-person claims, because the size of the total award would be large no matter what and the hierarchy could more effectively and efficiently control what information about the coverup would be released.
Second, the Archdiocese settled essentially on the eve of trial, when it appeared that the Cardinal would have to testify regarding his obvious knowledge of a great deal of abuse. In other words, the settlement was a tactic to keep a further lid on damaging information. Thus, despite the settlement, relatively little information, especially given the amount that is still under the sole control of the Archdiocese, has reached the public.
The Innocent Justice Foundation
December 31, 2009
Even after working in this field for years, some cases, like the recent one of Delaware accused child rapist and pediatrician Dr. Earl Bradley, still have the power to surprise me with the amount of heartrending horror, shock and disgust they produce. I am continually amazed, too, at parents who would leave their children alone in a doctor’s office, even with a pediatrician.
It is an ironic and cruel twist that many of these heinous and brutal crimes are being discovered thanks to the dimwitted perpetrators’ use of video cameras to document their sexual assaults of innocent babies and children.
Bradley, 56, is accused of raping at least nine baby girls – the youngest 3 months’ old, and the oldest only 13 years old. Only one girl, a two-year-old, told an adult about the abuse, prompting the investigation. As the seized digital evidence of the assaults is analyzed, more child victims are being found.
According to Courier Post Online:”Forensic evaluation of seized video files and software has to date discovered 15 more unidentified victims,” state police Detective Thomas Elliott wrote in an affidavit Friday seeking a search warrant for BayBees Pediatrics, the name of Bradley’s practice.
“Due to the slow and meticulous process of computer forensics, [police believe] more victims will be discovered in the electronic files of Dr. Bradley and the patient records will help confirm the identity.”
The videos were filmed between Aug. 7 and Dec. 13, police wrote. Several videos allegedly showed the doctor wearing his blue scrubs and barking orders at babies and toddlers, some of whom were crying or trying to run away. In one video, Bradley had a “violently enraged” expression on his face, police wrote.
Officers found six hand-held video cameras in the BayBees complex, which included Disney-themed examination rooms, a basement toy room and an adjoining garage, where he often took children to give them candy, ice cream or other treats — all places where police said he committed and filmed sex acts.
People often tell me that they simply cannot imagine in their worst nightmares that a respected pediatrician would rape little babies. However, 96% of child rapes, according to the Department of Justice, are committed by trusted people, and often include teachers, coaches, clergy, pediatricians, dentists, day care providers, babysitters, psychologists, relatives, and even police.
In fact, Bradley is not the first pediatrician to be caught this year. Fairfield, Ohio, pediatrician Dr. R. Scott Blankenburg, 53, was charged earlier this year on 22 counts of child sex crime and child pornography charges, and was recently arrested again in December on additional counts of sexual abuse, bribery, and complicity to deception to obtain dangerous drugs (heroin). His twin brother and fellow pediatrician, Dr. Mark Blankenburg, was found guilty earlier this month, on 16 sexual abuse charges involving three former patients and five counts of drug trafficking and one count of money laundering. He had a longtime practice in Hamilton, Ohio, and still faces a trial on 12 counts of child pornography in May.
Under no circumstances should a parent ever leave a child alone in with a doctor, dentist, teacher, coach, clergy or other adult. In fact, Darkness to Light, a respected non-profit working to stop child sexual abuse, has stated that minimizing one-on-one interactions between adults and children is a key way to prevent child sexual abuse.
As in the case of Aaron Zendejas, a San Diego babysitter who sold a 3-year-old child to a child molester, and then filmed the rape of the child, there are precious few completely “safe” one-on-one adult/child situations for children anymore. Although we have the ability to track down many of the offenders who trade in images of child sexual abuse, our ICAC task forces only have enough funding to capture less than 1% of known offenders.
Parents must wake up to the realities that child molesters look just like everyone else, and seek professions where they may gain the trust of adults and children. Parents must be vigilant in minimizing the one-on-one interactions of their children with adults and even older children as much as possible in order to keep their children safe.
Author: Heather Steele, President & CEO, Innocent Justice
Human trafficking industry thrives in Portland metro area
By Nicole Hanna-Jones
January 9, 2010
Oregonlive.com
Six posters of missing children from the metro area — five girls and one boy — were tacked to the wall of the Jantzen Beach hotel banquet room, a silent reminder of why more than 500 participants from 10 states had gathered Saturday.
One of three missing teens who ends up on the streets will be lured or forced into prostitution within 48 hours, according to national estimates. The annual Northwest Conference Against Human Trafficking hoped to bring a sense of urgency to the problem and capitalize on a recent local and national push to fight domestic human trafficking.
Oregon, advocates and law enforcement officials say, is a growing hub for forced prostitution and servitude. Just last week, a Portland man was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on suspicion of prostituting a 14-year-old relative.
Still, many Americans believe human trafficking to be an international phenomenon.
“I, like so many others, thought that trafficking was a problem that plagued other countries like Thailand and India, but was oblivious to what was happening right here in our backyard,” said Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel, who is spearheading the county’s efforts to combat human trafficking and open a shelter for sexual trafficking victims.
Portland has become a center for human trafficking for several reasons, said Keith Bickford, a Multnomah County sheriff’s detective who heads the Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force.
The city’s proximity to Interstates 5 and 84 as well as two rivers is attractive to traffickers, as is lax sexual trafficking enforcement laws, a legal sex industry, a large population of street kids and Oregon’s dependence on seasonal farmworkers, Bickford said.
Yet, the state keeps no data on victims of sexual trafficking, Bickford said, making it difficult to accurately assess the depth of the problem and get adequate resources.
About 300,000 American youths are trafficked for sexual exploitation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. During a one-night national sting involving 29 cities last February, law enforcement officers picked up seven underage girls involved in prostitution in Portland — more than any other city besides Seattle. They also picked up six adult pimps in Portland and cited 14 adult prostitutes.
Still, many at the conference said a collective national denial of the issue remains.
“What we’re about in the U.S., we’re willing to jump out there and save the world but we won’t look under our own rocks because it’s embarrassing,” Bickford said after giving a presentation on the work he’s doing with the task force.
Multnomah County has hundreds of human trafficking cases involving both people born in the United States and immigrants often brought or coerced here from other countries. His caseload is divided equally between those trafficked for sexual exploitation (mostly people from the U.S.) and those trafficked for labor (mostly immigrants), he said.
Other speakers at the conference said public officials are starting to take notice of the long-hidden crime.
Last month, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a bill along with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to help victims of sexual trafficking and provide more enforcement power against traffickers. The bill would fund pilot projects in six states to establish shelters for victims and provide counseling, legal aid, education and job training, as well as fund additional police officers and prosecutors.
“I want to see us start a national mobilization,” Wyden said after giving a brief speech about his bill. “It’s fair to say that in the past there’s been the sense that Oregon is not the kind of place you would see this. There’s no denial now and people are ready to go.”
A shelter to help victims escape exploitation is the greatest need in Portland, said Esther Nelson of the Sexual Assault Resource Center. The lack of a safe place makes it difficult to help people, she said, and impedes law enforcement efforts because victims often disappear.
Multnomah County and Portland officials have committed to finding money to open a shelter here, though they have no time line.
“We can’t do much more without a shelter,” Nelson said.