Validation...A Bittersweet Win

Yesterday I found a link on Facebook posted by Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald. They presented a paper at the Canadian Peace Research Association 2011 Conference And Annual General Council Meeting. The astounding topic was Spillover Torture from the Military/Warring Sphere Into the Private Sphere: Making Visible A Silenced Human Rights Violation and Victimized Person's 'Body Talk'.  (Clicking on the link downloads the PDF to your computer. It is safe. I have downloaded it several times and it is deemed safe by Norton.)

The document defines graphically the different types of torture employed in pedophilia to include the category of "torture to force dissociative responses". It was sickeningly validating to read such things as human trafficking statistics tended to be higher around military bases. Military personnel trained to do harm in their military positions with abusive tendencies were inclined to inflict the same techniques of harm on their children. I'm paraphrasing at this point and greatly encourage you to view the document for yourself.

Polyvore by grace22444

Most shocking to me, and the purpose of the presentation, was what is classified a torture in a military setting is not classified as torture in the private sector. In other words, pedophiles can torture children but it is not considered to be a crime. The presentation was to have torture categorized as a punishable offense in the private sector. A child might be molested repeatedly and the perpetrator would be charged for just that. If the child were also tortured, that, as it stands now, would not be a separate criminal charge.

It's difficult to get this document out of my mind. All I've been trying to say in my blogs was stated so succinctly in the presentation with the research to back it up. We, the survivors, have been telling our stories now online, through books, at conferences...being heard. Linda MacDonald and Jean Sarson took the years of research and put it together to advocate for us.

Thank you, Linda and Jean. I hope the world listens to your very powerful presentation.