ARKANSAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Wednesday, May 27
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 503 0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )
It’s time for the Duggar family to break their silence about admitted child sex crimes by one of their own, especially in light of new revelations that they sued an Arkansas child safety agency. And it’s time for an independent law enforcement investigation into this serious matter.
[People]
They should also stop minimizing Josh Duggar’s crimes by calling them “teenaged mistakes.” And every single person who saw, suspected or suffered crimes or cover ups by the Duggars or their church colleagues should find the courage to call police and prosecutors now.
Josh, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar obviously did not promptly report suspicions or admissions of child sex crimes to law enforcement. Josh has made a vague, brief apology. His parents, however, have not – and one could argue, because they were adults at the time, they are even more culpable than their son was.
They have thus forfeited any moral authority they may have had.
But there are many ways to skin a cat. And just because law enforcement authorities were thwarted years ago doesn’t necessarily mean they are thwarted still. It’s possible that the Duggars might be prosecuted for crimes like the intimidation of witnesses, the destruction of evidence, or the obstruction of justice. So we call on Arkansas secular officials to investigate this troubling situation so that the truth might be exposed, future cover ups might be deterred and faith in the justice system might be restored.
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