Definitions in the Steubenville trial included blackout and passed out. What about drugged? If noone asked that, then it will never get addressed?
"Roofies", the date rape drug had many http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugsrohypnol properties of the symptoms of the victim the night of the assault. http://s618.beta.photobucket.com/user/VAUXBEN/media/Motivation/pic11323....
No body fluid evidence noted the presence of this sleep aide substance not sold in the US. Body fluid evidence was also not offered to be collected in a timely manner once the process began, some say.
The solid and concise manner in which the Steubenville Judge returned his verdict today regarding two young perpetrators was clear. It was a message to the community, to the families and to the world that this was a rape circumstance and it was illegal with a consequence attached. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57574728-504083/steubenville-rape...
The divisions that have arisen regarding such a case, have notably fallen between boys will be boys and a demand that victimization, in this case of a semi-conscious female stop and marked it in time as criminal act, not to be repeated.
Over the past few months there have been many opinions posted... on the heels of the Indian College Student Gang Rape, The UNC College dismissal of a female victim for speaking out, Teen Dating Violence Prevention Month and with VAWA in the mix, there has probably been more attention on the issue of outcomes of handling of sex assault than there have been in a long time.
Still, this year's horse meat taint question will probably easily get more trained proven measures of fact searching eyes and dollars that audit and perfect processes than will those of sex assault service taint worldwide.
More people are defining and voicing their disgust with violence against females and sex assault. (Males can also be victims/survivors, fyi).
The Steubenville case victim was a female teen...... Just who holds the voice of the teen or the child or the infant in such talks when a pending case is not on? What needs to be said, to whom and when?
Factions of Rape Preventions, Anonymous, 99%, Childhood Survivor Groups, Survivor and Victim's Advocates, Political Analysts and the general public chimed in by tracking the reporting problem, seeming harassment of the victim, electronic evidence distribution by those involved and calls for justice for the identified survivor, Jane Doe.
Questions in these forums were asked about processes from the point of report, investigation and court. Accountability for the mandated reporter law, which apparently noone participated in and to date, noone will be held responsible for perhaps could have stopped the problems prior to the acts against Jane Doe, certainly the multiple acts. ( Mandated reporter laws note that persons who have information about a suspected crime provide it to designated authorities. This includes suspicions and facts of a person at risk of having been harmed, or potential harm pending).
Understanding that there is no national best practices indicated by federal policy or law for the identification or investigation of sex abuse, though there are federal rape laws. Some states do a better job than others at handling the information, records and process than others.
Federal dollars are granted for certain types of things included in a child/teen forensic process, but even these are ultimately unregulated by the state and the federal government. Failure to comply or mismanagement of an investigation does not result in the person or agency being automatically investigated, as there is no licensure involved, there are no ethics violations and therefore no consequences. Who is responsible for what works and what doesn't in OKLAHOMA?
Forensic facilities nor staff, (save a SANE nurse) do not have to hold a regulated credential of license or certification, and the younger the victim the LESS structure on the process, as opposed to it being more sacred and exacting it is less.
There is no governing or regulating Body that monitors the multiple factions that may be in the process or problems in the process of investigating sex assault. In Oklahoma, dependent upon the type of teen or child case, as many as 6 or 7 different governmental and private groups may become involved and they are not under any umbrella with or independent of the State.
Some of the agency jobs are actually defined so they cannot comment on another's work, nor report if a problem or question of a problem arises....
Sex assault cases, whether to an adult, teen or child must be managed professionally and accurately, without interference of money, whim, retaliatory nature or social climate preferences.
The process of investigations needs to be formally prescribed, exacting, sacred, succinct and measurable against what successful states find to be the answer for proper care with formal research not pseudosciences as the measure.
Persons taking reports and performing investigative processes need to be professionally trained and licensed in investigative processes.... in order to increase accuracy and to maintain content of the report. Investigations to be handled with comprehensive panels of trained, licensed individuals, who proceed with accuracy and honesty in mind. The person providing the information needs to be of sound mind and character, and not contingent upon personal preferences, instruction or bypass from a superior ( See Military Sex Assault Hearings this past week) paycheck or outcome of the case.
Reports need to be documented and transcribed in professional and accurate language. Records of evidence need to be to be secure and contained. That outside interference in records, reporting and investigations be spotted and curtailed immediately. With a penalty for persons involved.
Systems Induced Trauma is when the reporting party ( victim or survivor) dealing with the system and staff processing the "problem" generates more problems for the victim than the mere incident itself.
People involved in investigative systems most likely to pour this on a victim are those who do not understand the process of victimization and investigation. Because of lack of supervised professional training and licensure processes these staffers unleash accusations, poor investigations, poor documentation, inability to empathize, failure to listen, inability to process second to failing to deal with their own overstimulation by an incident or failure to manage personal issues, or never being exposed to a complex life circumstance such as abuse, torture or death.
Systems Induced Trauma is real, preventable and very tractable. Hundreds of workers, attorneys, helping professionals and others see this daily.... and the structure of the law puts families in harms way, not out of it, with no means to report and undo what is being done. The professionals who do try to advocate for the child can be placed in harm's way. When will this STOP?
Stopping sex abuse where it originates with active pursuit of healthful alternatives for families and children? US News noted that most males who father children as teens are former child sex abuse survivors. Figure the same is true for perps?
Currently, there is a national campaign on to teach small children about sex abuse and report it, under @erinmerryn on Twitter. Erin's campaign asks that states invest in a standard law of educating children what sexual abuse is, and how to ask for help. An observation in Twitter media regarding the assault was that people observing the assaults did not seem to understand it was sex abuse or rape, thereby justifying their non-action. Oklahoma it seems has not yet accepted Ms. Merryn's program.
But there is another faction of people, including Austin, Texas based male sex abuse survivor and psychotherapist Rick Belden, @RickBelden who note the value of not abusing ... in this case boys, and of taking time to healthfully befriend, father and mentor young men so they DON'T abuse has another dimension of positive return that could reduce or eliminate the problem from a mostly untried vantage.
You can send this article, along with your call for action, questions about the Oklahoma systems or suggestions by pressing the email button, sending by twitter or FB.
Also you can copy and fax or copy/snail mail requests for review of these questions.
DAVID PRATER, Oklahoma County DA
320 Robert S. Kerr, Room 505
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Phone:(405) 713-1600
Fax: (405) 235-1567
Twitter for HHS, Health and Human Services which is the Federal Office over OKDHS, ACF and OCR is @HHSGOV
http://www.examiner.com/article/councilman-dr-shadid-april-is-child-abus...
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