errr...
well for a start it's bollocks!
:-D
images of carts and horses come to mind. why not execute _everyone_ as this will prevent any children getting abused in the first place (not to mention a host of other crimes).
Speaking as an adult survivor of an abusive childhood I can assure you that most of the damage I suffered came about as a result of the social disconnect i felt from those around me, when i was supposed to be growing up. Learning how human interactions at all levels worked. The cause of which was 'the secret'. I grew up unable to trust anyone, un able to be myself.. ever, at all. Always different, and not in a good way.
This leads to a perverse logic; I felt responsible, ergo I was the guilty one, and I was also unhappy, but guilty people deserve to be un happy, so thats ok then...
Because i was told of the dire consequenses of discovery (I was a young boy, critical thinking didnt really come into it {see the previous para!})
So the damage to me, and the overwhelming majority of my co-survivors was a direct result of keeping 'the secret', being on guard all of the time.
you dont have to think about that too hard to work out that
a) I should not have been abused - it's a given - it could have been worse i could have landed on this planet in the sudan for eg. even so it was pretty shitty... luck for want of a better word.
b) The massive stigma attached to the crimes that I was a victim of created the 'hard place' that complemented the 'rock' provided by my abuser.
it's as close to impossible as makes no difference to intercept an abuser prior to an offence. (never mind the legal difficulties - thought crime? no thanks!)
Abusers are EVERYWHERE. Statistically there are at least a couple on your street right now.
The stigma generated forces these individuals to evolve complex strategies to protect themselves.
think of the comments you hear when someone is caught.. what Dave, No Never!, he's a good bloke, always having a laught down the pup etc etc..
one of the significant effects of these stratigies place a huge burden on the victim.
Thats what makes us grow up broken.
If we cant catch the blackhats until it's too late, if we could at least remove some of the pressure, then that would reduce the damage to the child.
A most un-palatable conclusion. But the more society accepts that these individuals are diseased as poopes to evil then the better chances there will be for their victims.
that said, I was _very_ happy the day i heard my abuser had died, so what do i know :D
Oh BTW! sorry AC 13:35 for taking the piss :-) didnt know i was going to write this.
and BBTW - I did ok in the end. took years of bawling my eyes out in a room ful of strangers, but got there in the end.
NH