I attended this conference today.
The singing was my favorite part.
I loved how a group of survivors came together to attend this conference.
The sadness within tonight is the grief I have at knowing what message was sent to every victim in that conference: there is hope and help for the abuser, victims are possibly mental and must forgive, let it go and also "I challenge the victims to within the next 7 days bury the abuse (and I know it may never leave you) but I challenge you to bury your things."
Whoever is facilitating the Amish Abuse Awareness conferences:
In the next 7 days I challenge you to go look in the mirror and write a book that doesn't once shame victims, doesn't focus primarily on doing things for the perpetrators soul, doesn't focus on the law sending perps to prison.
I challenge you in the next 7 days to put on a conference where you:
Find speakers who are actually qualified to speak (being a minister does not qualify you to speak).
Put on an event where you don't make a jumble soup of woe is me in prison.
Where you don't portray victims as mental, crazy, hochmutich (prideful) attention seeking, unforgiving, disobedient etc
Provide actual resources for folks such as qualified, certified trauma therapists for victims.
Give ideas (preferably from a licensed pediatric counselor) on how to appropriately educate children on:
Body parts
Consent
Privacy
Discipline (that doesn't involve hitting)
Provide appropriate information (best practice based) for how to best support victims (based on research) where you tell people the actual law on mandated reporting which is: it must be reported to the law, every single time it is reported to you or you suspect it.
I challenge you to follow the law and report it, there are no 3 strikes.
I challenge you to stop pretending to be law enforcement and allow law enforcement to do their job and investigate every single case, do your part and report the abuse. I challenge you to stay in your lane.
Are you part of the solution or part of the problem?
Choose wisely for you cannot be both.
Silence enables perpetrators access to victims.
Silence helps the perpetrators of crimes, never the victim.
Not reporting every single time gives perpetrators access to more victims.
I challenge you Amish Abuse Awareness to be part of the solution today!
“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe,” he said in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on Dec. 10, 1986." -Elie Wiesel
https://www.google.com/amp/s/time.com/4392252/elie-wiesel-dead-best-quotes/%3famp=true
