"All Perpetrators Were Abused"
Edited by The Anonymous Athiest
During the course of this conference, the statement was made that, “All perpetrators were abused, they don’t know what to do.” I also heard something to the extent of: they just want to be accepted.
“The analysis of self-reports confirmed that the proportion of pedophiles who report having been sexually abused in childhood by mature persons is larger than that of men who were not charged for or accused of a sex offense against a child though the difference is relatively small (28.6 vs. 13.9 and 10.7% for the heterosexual pedophiles and the two groups of gynephiles, respectively, and 25.9 vs. 11.8% for the homosexual pedophiles and androphiles, respectively).”1
If the above data doesn’t give you pause, here's a quote from another study that utilized polygraphs to determine whether offenders were lying about having been sexually abused:
“Childhood victimization is not a predictor of whether the person will commit another sexual offense.”2
I went to find research studies regarding whether or not offenders tend to have been victims, and these were some astounding facts. I found more compelling evidence in another study from the DOJ:
“Childhood abuse was found to increase risk for arrest for adult sex crime but childhood sex abuse, by itself, did not (cause sexually abusive behavior in victims). Physical abuse and neglect did pose increased risk”.3
We know there is the case of The Commonwealth of PA vs Gideon Miller. We know that Mr. Miller, the accused, was, according to the statement made by the speaker at the Amish Abuse Awareness Conference, abused, potentially by Mr. Miller Sr. according to statements made in court. This means that had someone reported the abuse by Mr. Miller Sr., Mr. Miller Jr. potentially would not be an abuser today.
One of the thoughts I keep having is this, my abusers lied to me and they lied to the people around me. What makes you believe that the perpetrators of abuse are telling the truth 100% of the time?
When are you believing people and supporting them when a victim discloses?
Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?
Choose your actions or inaction wisely, for you can’t be both.
This is Part 4 of a series on the Amish Abuse Awareness conference in Loganton, PA, on the 22nd of May, 2021.
Look for Part 5 "Child Rearing and Prevention" next week.
Thank you all for listening. ️
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