NEW HAMPSHIRE
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
We applaud the courage and compassion of Chessy Prout, the brave victim of a sexual assault at St. Paul’s school in Concord by Owen Labrie, who is revealing her identity today. Her bravery will inspire others who have been abused or raped. And we are confident that it will also help her heal.
[Yahoo]
This smart, strong teenager is absolutely right when she says that none of us who have been assaulted need to “feel ashamed.” The shame belongs entirely on those who hurt us and those who ignored or hid or defended these awful crimes.
As Alcohol Anonymous teaches us, “we’re only as sick as our secrets.” Honesty is usually very healing.
No matter what court officials or school officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered sexual violence and cover ups in institutions – especially schools – to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.