MaleSurvivor issues statement on the Sandusky and Lynn verdicts
June 22, 2012
New York, NY – In Pennsylvania today two separate juries brought guilty verdicts in two separate trials and in so doing changed our world a little bit for the better.
MaleSurvivor, along with all survivors of sexual abuse applaud these decisions. We also thank the jury members for their service. Charged with a difficult task they were attentive through the trials and careful in their deliberations. In addition the prosecution teams, and law enforcement personnel in Philadelphia and Bellefonte are to be commended for bringing these cases to trial. Abuse cases are often difficult to prosecute, and all of those who had a hand in bringing these cases deserve our thanks.
A trial is but one step on a much longer journey. The courtroom is a place for justice, not for healing. For some survivors, bringing the people who have harmed them to account in court can be a piece of that healing. Many others will never have that opportunity or will not succeed in their efforts. But all survivors can heal. This verdict merely ends one chapter of a much longer story that will take years to write.
As each survivor who took the stand against Sandusky and Lynn begin their next chapters, they can take pride in knowing that their courage has helped thousands and thousands of victims begin to become survivors. Studies show nearly 20% of males are victims of sexual abuse, and most have never spoken up. Today, the wall of silence is finally beginning to crack. Organizations like MaleSurvivor.org have been flooded with emails and inquiries from survivors who know that they are not alone.
Abuse thrives on shadows, secrecy, and silence. When those who have been silenced begin to speak, we all begin to heal. Each man’s testimony resonated with raw emotional power, ripping the covers off of an ugly wound society has permitted to fester. It is both shocking and deeply unsettling to have our collective pain so brutally exposed. Only by exposing the ugly truth that we can begin a healing process that will help us all.
Christopher Anderson
Executive Director, MaleSurvivor
