Playing Games at the Expense of Our Children

Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed the unveiling of the horrible child abuse allegations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who last week was charged with sexually assaulting eight “at-risk” boys over a 15-year period by a Pennsylvania grand jury.

Under the pretense of a service organization, The Second Mile, which Sandusky created to provide children with an opportunity to develop positive life skills and self-esteem, the former athletic official used his stature within the Pennsylvania community to prey on young boys, some of who did not have a constant, attentive parental figure in their lives. While we are still learning about the facts, it is easy to assume that due to the demographics of the area and the common definition of “at-risk”, that Sandusky’s victims may have been black.

After reading the grand jury report outlining the details of the Sandusky case, it is clear that the scope of his reported abuse could have been prevented. But the social position of his victims allowed their imitation of classic signs of abuse and even verbal reports to be ignored, all because of the lack of awareness surrounding these boys and the unwillingness for school members to speak up on their behalf.

On its face, it would appear that those who knew of the allegations were more interested in protecting a football team’s legacy than they were in protecting vulnerable children. Even when concerned parents reported Sandusky’s inappropriate behavior to teachers and other administration officials at the victim’s school, The Second Mile and Penn State, not a single person went beyond their “legal” obligation and reported the abuse to law enforcement officials. Those are backward priorities of the highest magnitude.

This course of action can no longer be an option. The dialogue created by this case provides an opportunity for our country to make a pledge to do what is right and protect youth who may need our help. We must develop a national framework that works to defend all children, regardless of their familial situations. It is our obligation to not ignore youth who do not have the care and support of a family, no matter their race, religion or socio-economic status.

We must also raise questions in the foster care community about the potential for Sandusky’s six adoptive children to be placed in harm’s way. It is my mission in Congress to ensure that the more than 500,000 children currently in foster care are protected from any further injustice while they are already dealing with former abuse and neglect in previous living situations.

The responsibility to protect defenseless children is ours and ours alone. We must take it upon ourselves to take action now and continue the conversations in our local communities about ways to help children who are overlooked. It is our duty to not only immediately stop abuse if we witness it, but to also report it to law enforcement officials in order to guarantee that another child never has to be a victim of abuse again.