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In Reply to: Re: TF harbouring a known and confessed pedophile! posted by Joseph on December 17, 2003 at 08:01:16:
In general terms, I would agree with that, but there is nothing simple about it so I wouldn't make any blanket statements.
Sam seems to have been wrong or neglectful about some aspects of pursuing this. He was centric to his own principals. We have to remember that at the center of all this is the victim, and how to do right by him/her. Are we trying to fight for the victim or to staisfy our own sense of principal? I would go as far as to say the way some people act it is like they are fighting their own ghosts, making a big display out of it, and using others to achieve this.
First and foremost is the co-operation of the victim. The victim owns the story, and nobody else. A victim can be re-victimized by being forced to stand in court to testify, against their will, or at a time when they are not ready to deal with it. A victim can be re-victimized when he/she has other interests to protect and may be forced to jeopardize them in the process. Nothing is worse than assuming you can decide for a victim when his/her story should be told, how it should be told, where it should be used (media/courts/private negotiations), or when you make a show case out it. Misuse of a victim's story can effectively create a situation where they have to back out, rendering them perhaps forever unable to come to a point where they can marshall enough strength again, to deal with it in their own way in their own time.
So if you have the victim's co-operation, yes, I personally would agree to the next step.
The next step, is what does the victim want, and what is realistically achievable? Jail time? Execution? Castration? Monetary compensation? An apology? Public exposure of the perpertrator?
Once you've determined that, the question is: how do you help him/her achieve that goal?
What if all this "saber rattling" as you put it (that was a subtle put down wasn't it?) meant my husband/wife/son/daughter had to go to prison?
Personally, this does not apply, but hypothetically, although I am for supporting all victims of all child abuse in TF, I'd try not to be involved with a case where I cannot be impartial, and may have a conflict of interest. Then I'd try to find my family the best legal defense we can get. I would make sure we do our best to listen to the victim, and to see what areas there are that we can agree on, and to look for a way to settle this out of court.
