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	Fix Pennsylvania's Child Abuse System By Aaron J. Anderson York Daily Record November 11, 2011 http://www.ydr.com/ci_19305880 What went wrong in Happy Valley? The simple answer to the question is everything! As this story grows more and more disturbing questions surface. Yes, a graduate assistant contacted Joe Paterno the day after he allegedly witnessed Sandusky with a boy in the shower, but how does a man just walk away while a 10-year old is being sexually assaulted? Why not physically intervene to stop the abuse? Why not call campus police or the ChildLine instead of going to Paterno first? He could have done more, a whole lot more. Make no mistake, Paterno will be the most public fall guy for this scandal, but should he be the primary? What went wrong with the administrators who were required by law to report this? The only thing we do know is that they took Sandusky's locker room keys away and reported the incident to Second Mile charity, but that was it. No police call, no ChildLine call, nothing more. Was the reputation of the storied PSU football program more important than the welfare of a 10-year old boy? Seems to me like a house cleaning is in order. Why wasn't there a real man at PSU who would stand up for these kids? What went wrong in Happy Valley? Everything. No one went far enough and little children paid for it. What more can we do to protect our children, not just in Happy Valley, but also in all of our communities? First, we have to acknowledge that Pennsylvania has significant flaws in our system. Read the grand jury report for yourself regarding alleged victim No. 6. The Department of Public Welfare investigated the report of Sandusky showering with the boy after the mother reported it. Sandusky admitted to giving the boy bear hugs in the shower. No criminal charges were filed. No abuse was substantiated. Are you kidding me? We can address system flaws by asking our legislators for a comprehensive independent review of the core elements of child abuse - how it is defined, reported, screened in and out and investigated. Child advocates have been calling for a Child Protection and Accountability Task Force to oversee this. Harrisburg, do we have your ear now? Lawmakers should make it a requirement that mandated reporters receive training on how to identify abuse and how to appropriately respond. You should contact your legislator today and demand that the system gets a thorough review. Second, we can move beyond the letter of the law and do whatever is necessary to protect children. If you remotely suspect that a child is being abused, sexually, physically, emotionally or being subjected to neglect, you should call the ChildLine at (800) 932-0313. I have the number saved in my iPhone and I am ready to use it if needed. Protecting a child may require more than a phone call. My former neighbor, Neida Baez, is in prison for failing to intervene when her boyfriend, Harve Johnson, was beating her little girl to death. She should have called the cops and stepped in, but she didn't and Darisabel is gone because of it. Third, we need to teach all of our community's children about what is appropriate adult behavior and what is not. Our kids should have the confidence that if they come forward with a report that they will be heard, protected and that justice will be done. My final thought is more of a question with which I believe our communities should wrestle. It seems like every day another man is arrested for child pornography or for molesting a child or a high school teacher is arrested for having sex with a student. Are we out of control as a society when it comes to sex? Are we willing to live with the consequences of unbridled sexual expression? There may be a Victim No. 2 in your own community, a faceless, nameless, helpless, powerless little one being victimized by an adult that should be trusted. Will we sit idly by while our community's children are destroyed, like it appears they did in Happy Valley? Or will we rise in indignation and be protectors of the powerless at any cost, even if it costs us the reputation of our sacred institution, or even our job? As a community member, I'm horrified. As a father of five, I'm torn up inside thinking about the victims. As a pastor, I find myself praying. May the shadows from the truth fall. Our children need our protection. We can do better. You have a role to play. Prevention is possible. The Rev. Aaron J. Anderson is pastor of City Church York and a member of the advisory board of Prevent Child Abuse Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the York County Children, Youth and Family Council.
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