It Can Happen to Anyone – Protecting Your Child
With April marking the observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, I was invited by Tonya May Avent to share a post on her blog. Read an excerpt below or head to Tonya’s blog to read the full post.
Let me begin by painting a picture…
She eyes the uneven bars; determination coats her face. With a leap, she soars into the air, grips the lower bar firmly, and pulls her body up and over the pole. From the top bar to the lower bar and back again, her body turns and wraps in a rhythmic dance of strength, balance, and precision.
Beautiful and breathtaking is her dedication and love for this sport.
You can see it, right?
But she has a secret. She was sexually abused by the doctor she trusted to keep her healthy and performance-ready for competitions. You can’t tell by looking at her face. You can’t tell by listening to the conversations she has with friends, but she is hurting.
In 2016, the USA Gymnastics Association was crippled when reports surfaced that several young women had accused Larry Nassar, a well-known Olympic team doctor and sports medicine physician of Michigan State University (MSU), of sexual abuse. His abuse pattern targeted female athletes, including Olympic gymnasts, and students. This was only the tip of the enormous iceberg as Nassar’s total victim pool would consists of over 300 females and one male. In the fallout, Nassar was sentenced to over 100 years in prison. Several officials, including the MSU president, resigned. The University settled a multitude of lawsuits and established a fund of $500 million for victims and those who may decide to come forward in the future.
This article isn’t meant to explain how a physician can abuse women and children for over two decades and get away with it. While I could talk about the failures of a system that dismisses or diminishes abuse, I would rather focus on the victims. In the fight to bring an abuser to justice, we often lose sight of how to care for the victim. This is about the basketball player, the gymnast, the ballerina…this is about them.
Athletics is a great way for children to gain courage, have fun and make friends. Unfortunately, child abuse can occur within what should be a safe space for children. As a parent of an athlete, it’s important to be informed of the indicators of abuse, because the difficult truth is, it can happen to anyone. I’m going to share the warning signs of abuse and how to support your child – or any child in the aftermath.
To finish reading this post, click here and join me on Destined 4 the Dub.
