WAG Another USAG screw up

[Gymmommy71]

I really hope this was not the case. I'm not defending Dr. Nassar in the least, but for what it's worth, he has a lot of supporters. Check out Katie Teft's acceptance speech from the region 5 hall of fame induction ceremony. Look at the applause it got! This happened after the news about Dr. Nassar broke. It starts at about 57.5 minutes in.

Yeah - he does seem to be very worshipped. Probably why it was so difficult for many of the victims to come forward (and I wonder if there are many that will never come forward for this reason).

Joe Paterno was worshipped as well though.

 

[GymDad9.9]

Yeah - he does seem to be very worshipped. Probably why it was so difficult for many of the victims to come forward (and I wonder if there are many that will never come forward for this reason).

Joe Paterno was worshipped as well though.

Joe Paterno is still worshiped.

 

[bogwoppit]

I really hope this was not the case. I'm not defending Dr. Nassar in the least, but for what it's worth, he has a lot of supporters. Check out Katie Teft's acceptance speech from the region 5 hall of fame induction ceremony. Look at the applause it got! This happened after the news about Dr. Nassar broke. It starts at about 57.5 minutes in.

That is what makes it even harder for victims and their families. People waving their flags high in support of the abuser. False accusations are very, very rare. Even rarer are false accusations where they come from total strangers who have never met.

Even more than that is the systemic cover up by MSU to protect the abuser.

I think posting supportive stuff on this thread is basically telling victims that they are not being heard. Bad enough it happens on social media. Abusers do not abuse every child they meet, just the ones they did.

 

[CanAmGymMum]

I think posting supportive stuff on this thread is basically telling victims that they are not being heard. Bad enough it happens on social media. Abusers do not abuse every child they meet, just the ones they did.[/QUOTE]

Like I said, I'm in no way defending Dr. Nassar. However, sometimes it's nice to see the full scope of a topic and not just one side, as reported by the news media, in order to intelligently discuss it. I think most on here agree and understand that its very rare for one victim, let alone several victims, to report false allegations of sexual abuse. I hear the victims loud and clear and by no means was it my intention to diminish the allegations.

 

[bogwoppit]

Like I said, I'm in no way defending Dr. Nassar. However, sometimes it's nice to see the full scope of a topic and not just one side, as reported by the news media, in order to intelligently discuss it. I think most on here agree and understand that its very rare for one victim, let alone several victims, to report false allegations of sexual abuse. I hear the victims loud and clear and by no means was it my intention to diminish the allegations.


I think here we will agree to disagree. Posting anything positive about this POS is just not my thing, not matter the source. When gym owners, gymnasts and coaches "stand up for the abuser", (not giving his name any air time here either) it just slaps the victims in the face.

 

[raenndrops]

Joe Paterno is still worshiped.

Joe wasn't the creep - Jerry Sandusky was.

 

[GymDad9.9]

Joe wasn't the creep - Jerry Sandusky was.

Paterno was a creep protector.

 

[suds]

For what it’s worth… (i.e. take it or leave it)… With high-intensity / high-stakes issues, especially those that potentially put my bear cubs at risk, I try to remind myself of a few things:

Speculation fuels rumors which then spread like wildfire. I can’t remember anything good resulting from me openly hazarding a guess at what actually happened.

Waiting for facts to come out, while difficult, has proven a good choice in the past. Often I’m really surprised by what actually transpired.

Emotions run high. Well-intentioned people can both easily misinterpret communications and can easily misspeak in this highly charged environment.

In the past, I’ve found it works best if I use my energy to focus on that which is actually under my control: evaluating how I can best protect my own bear cubs while seeking out facts about the issue as they are revealed.

(My two cents.)

 

[Gymmommy71]

Paterno was a creep protector.

He protected a creep who prayed on underprivileged "at risk" kids under the guise of a charity - a charity that used the worshiped PSU football name to attract new victims for Sandusky. It went on for years and there is no question that Paterno knew about it. The whole thing was just disgusting - as is this Nassar situation.

 

[Terry]

It's not just males.

True. But it is statistically overwhelmingly males

 

[Deleted member D3987]

It's not just males.

thank you.

 

[Faith]

When my youngest was in kindergarten, she had a little boy in her class who would constantly get in trouble at school, he was inappropriate, used bad language, told my daughter he thought she was "sexy" showed her and another girl is private parts...etc. I realize kids at that age are curious about their bodies, but I could tell this was different


.I couldn't do anything but cry for him, because I knew with him being so young, he lived in a house with parents who didn't care, and perhaps with worse things going on...they were never at the back to school nights or meet the teacher, or the "open house" or whatever it's called at the end of the year....he moved and now goes to a different school, but I often think about him and hope he's somehow doing better. .

So is there absolutely no system for reporting child abuse in the US unless it's from a parent or child?

I would have reported that boy to child protection for his behaviour and his family would have been investigated. It often takes several reports from different sources (schools, neighbours, friends etc) to draw a clearer picture so child protection can take appropriate action.

I hope i've read your post wrong because that scares me.

 

[raenndrops]

So is there absolutely no system for reporting child abuse in the US unless it's from a parent or child?

I would have reported that boy to child protection for his behaviour and his family would have been investigated. It often takes several reports from different sources (schools, neighbours, friends etc) to draw a clearer picture so child protection can take appropriate action.

I hope i've read your post wrong because that scares me.

Teachers are mandated reporters (at least in my state). The problem is, even if it is reported, the department that handles this is quite frequently overburdened. They might make a visit to the home, but if they don't see any huge red flags, they deem it unsubstantiated.
One of my college professors had been a social worker in a big city before changing professions.
She shared that her last month, she had 250 families in her case files.
Me, being a math geek, immediately went to calculating how long she would have for each family... 40 hours a week x 4.3 weeks a month = 172 hours / 250 families = less than 42 minutes per family ... For court appearances, home visits, paperwork, and monitoring supervised visits, not to mention the time spent arranging support services for the families.
Sometimes, children would slip through the cracks.
It's sad, but there isn't enough of a budget to keep the good social workers at manageable caseloads.

 

[Faith]

So if i suspect a child in my street or in a gym is being abused there's nothing I can do? I have to hope a teacher or other "mandated reporter" picks up on it and escalates?

Is that why the usag thing wasn't stopped earlier? Are there mandated reporters in gyms?

it's not unusual for abused kids to be kept out of school, or to be sworn to secrecy or made to beloeve they are at fault by their abuser- which is why they often don't tell parents, no matter how much you've spoken to them or made them aware.

 

[coachmolly]

So if i suspect a child in my street or in a gym is being abused there's nothing I can do? I have to hope a teacher or other "mandated reporter" picks up on it and escalates?

Is that why the usag thing wasn't stopped earlier? Are there mandated reporters in gyms?

it's not unusual for abused kids to be kept out of school, or to be sworn to secrecy or made to beloeve they are at fault by their abuser- which is why they often don't tell parents, no matter how much you've spoken to them or made them aware.

Other people CAN report if they think something is off with a neighbor, child's friend, etc. but only certain people are legally obligated to report something suspicious.
And like raenndrops said, the system is overburdened and understaffed so tons of children fall through the cracks. If I were to report a child I coach as showing signs of abuse, I would likely get a personal meeting with social services to provide details and then they would visit the home and ask the parents questions. Unless there is something super obvious going on, the parents will likely just be placed on a watch list.

 

[profmom]

Individuals can call Child Protective Services if they suspect an issue. Public school teachers are mandated reporters, I believe in every state. Gyms are private institutions, so in some states, gym staff are not mandated reporters, though individuals in a gym may certainly report. As Raenn notes, social services in most states are not sufficiently funded to support an aggressive and efficient investigatory system. And unfortunately, particularly in bitter separation or custody disputes, some people occasionally make false reports.

The problem is getting worse with the growth in opiate addiction in the US.

 

[sce]

Anyone can make a report, but certain people are mandated to do so. I think a lot of people don't want to cause trouble Tina family, if they are wrong. So there is hesitation to report. Thus why some are mandated reported, as that means that have to report. There two sides to this, some most people overreportba dvcause trouble fir good families. Other people see things but don't report fir fear of being wrong.

It's extra messed up right now. I've seen kids who were clearly abused, but the system had no lace for them, so they left them
In the home. One girl, ram away multiple times as a result. But they keep taking her back home! Then I've heard of kids being taken out of their home fir something like being allowed to walk home alone!!!

Not sure how quickly the system would follow up on a non family member being reported as an abuser???

 

[notthatmom]

So if i suspect a child in my street or in a gym is being abused there's nothing I can do? I have to hope a teacher or other "mandated reporter" picks up on it and escalates?

Is that why the usag thing wasn't stopped earlier? Are there mandated reporters in gyms?

it's not unusual for abused kids to be kept out of school, or to be sworn to secrecy or made to beloeve they are at fault by their abuser- which is why they often don't tell parents, no matter how much you've spoken to them or made them aware.

If I had gone to the authorities about this with the little "evidence"I had, they'd have told me to mind my business...I didn't even know the kids last name, and then he moved. I thought the school did the best they could in the situation and I figured they'd take additional action if and when they saw fit.
I'm not a mandated reporter, I never saw physical signs of abuse...he never told me he was abused, so I don't have nearly enough information. Maybe his parents just allowed him to be an a-hole and watch R rated movies, maybe they walk around naked freely in their house, maybe they don't punish him for anything he does. None of that is abuse, so what I have is merely speculation.

 

[GymDad9.9]

Other people CAN report if they think something is off with a neighbor, child's friend, etc. but only certain people are legally obligated to report something suspicious.
And like raenndrops said, the system is overburdened and understaffed so tons of children fall through the cracks. If I were to report a child I coach as showing signs of abuse, I would likely get a personal meeting with social services to provide details and then they would visit the home and ask the parents questions. Unless there is something super obvious going on, the parents will likely just be placed on a watch list.

Not in the case of my niece which I wrote about earlier. My sister in law made a phone call from 3000 miles a way and had a protective services van show up on a Sunday night to take her away for no reason.

 

[l.c.o]

Not in the case of my niece which I wrote about earlier. My sister in law made a phone call from 3000 miles a way and had a protective services van show up on a Sunday night to take her away for no reason.

I've actually seen this go both ways a bit.

A very good friend of mine's then 1st grade son went to school with a tall tale about how he got a black eye - in short, he blamed dad, in what I'd consider a blatantly obvious made-up story... "I beat my daddy at baseball so he got mad at me and then my daddy beat me and then locked me in the shed with hundreds of spiders for two days"... When he'd been at school the day previous. Social services showed up, interviewed all, stripped both kids down to fully examine for other signs of abuse. They deemed it that abuse was unlikely, though they were monitored with a few random drop in checks/exams over a few months.

OTOH, my when cousin's DD was just a few days old, she became lethargic and started seizing. They called 911, she was taken to the local children's hospital. Long story short, baby had a severe brain bleed and hospital staff suspected parents of shaken baby syndrome. The only family member allowed any access to the baby or any information was one who is an attorney. It took them five days to clear my cousin and his wife and allow them to see their baby (who'd been unresponsive and on life support with a poor prognosis... I can't imagine). They had finally reviewed baby's records and discovered the parents really were naturalists and had refused to allow the vitamin K shot to be administered at baby's birth. Now... I have my own thoughts on the vit k and the fact that they again refused it for both subsequent babies... but that's another story.

Anyway, I do genuinely believe that they (social workers) are generally doing their best with the resources and information that they have. But I do have two friends who have left social work due to the workload and feeling like they just can't do their jobs well enough, and knowing that was devastating to them.