Commemorating Breakthrough for Children's Safety

Sun Chronicle
May 17, 2012

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2012/05/17/opinion/11496528.txt

"I dislike the word victim. I'm a survivor. We were all survivors," said John Robitaille in "Father Porter: Remembering the evil," a story on Sunday's front page.

Call this a semantical argument, if you wish, but the distinction is given weight in recovery programs for those who have suffered from abuse. Victims can carry the weight of victimhood throughout their lives. Survivors move on toward the goal of becoming thrivers again.

Formerly of North Attleboro, Robitaille suffered in the most notorious child sex abuse incidents ever to come to light in The Sun Chronicle area. It was committed a half-century ago by the then Rev. James Porter, an assistant pastor at St. Mary's Church in North Attleboro.

But it was not until 20 years ago that Porter, who had since been defrocked, was brought to trial. Accusations were made that he raped and otherwise abused at least 131 children - the number is believed to be higher - but due to statutes of limitation, he only faced charges from 28.

Porter was sent to prison and died of cancer in 2005 while still in the state's custody. The anniversary of the explosion of charges against Porter can not be described as a happy one. But its place in history is assured and it is one of which Robitaille and the other Porter survivors from North Attleboro can take pride. Simply stated, the courage they displayed in going public and forcing Porter to take responsibility has made children far more safer from sexual abuse. They have made it easier for others to think of themselves as survivors rather than victims.

The Porter case, and similar ones that later came to light in the Boston archdiocese, has led to stringent church policies to expel and exclude pedophiles from the priesthood. Statutes of limitations have been changed to make it more difficult for child abusers to evade justice. Volunteers working with children are screened far more thoroughly than in years gone by.

And perhaps more importantly, the example has been delivered dramatically in this area that it is safe to tell that you have been abused, that the shame is on the abuser, that help is available.

The job of protecting our children from abuse is not done. Threats do remain from people in positions of trust and authority. But the work to tighten the safety net for children goes on, as we noted recently noted in this space urging residents to help the Attleboro and Hockomock Area YMCAs reach their goal of getting 5 percent of the population trained in dealing with child sex abuse through the Darkness2Light program.

Sexual abuse of children is an unpleasant topic to talk about, but the history of James Porter should never be forgotten locally, nor should the courage shown by the survivors who broke the curtain of silence away from pedophilia 20 years ago this month.