Every one thought their kids would be safe with a ‘World Renowned Doctor.’ That is not the case in this situation. Larry Nassar started sexually assaulting and abusing children and women around 1997. This tragedy did not stop until 2016 when he was charged with possession of child pornography. Social media impacted this case because of the first woman who came forward accusing him of sexually abusing her. Fortunately for her, lots of other strong survivors came out and told their story as well. It started in 1997, Kyle Stephens was one of the first children to be sexually assaulted. He assaulted her in her own house and she told her parents they did not believe her. Her parents made her apologize to him; Nassar continued to abuse her (Vaidyanathan …show more content…
& Hughes, 2017). Larry then started working at a gymnastic center owned by John Geddert.
According to Campbell in the article titled, “Dr. Larry Nassar: A history of preying on people,” he states, “A parent of a child raised concerns to Geddert about Nassar early on. Unfortunately, Geddert did not file a police report,” about this causing it to go on for about 13 more years. Also in 1997, he became the Michigan State University team physician. Because of his power and high up status, Nassar started assaulting more and more women. Nassar then went on and became the Olympic trainer for gymnastics. Olympic athletes were being abused by someone they should be able to trust. Some of the Olympians who came forward are Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney & Gabby Douglas to name a few. These are girls that we saw on TV competing for our country, but behind closed doors they were being assaulted. Aly Raisman spoke in court about the abuse she was put through. In a YouTube video titled, “Watch Aly Raisman confront Larry Nassar,” posted by CNN, she states that she and many others put trust in him; she then …show more content…
goes on to state that he manipulated her and the other survivors as well because he took advantage of his power as the Team Doctor for USA Gymnastics. More than 150 women came forward to confront him about his abuse. After seeing how strong Raisman was in her confrontation video, that was when Simone Biles came forward on Twitter about her abuse. There were many reasons why his abuse continued for so long and many of these reasons were because adults did not believe or want to deal with the problem. As I stated early, Kyle Stephens was one of the first to be sexually abused. If her parents would have believed her, this problem would have been solved long before the hundreds of other women were abused as well. Vaidyanathan and Hughes wrote, “Stephens babysat Nassar’s children to protect them and so she would be able to pay for the therapy she went to.” Stephen’s would go to therapy and counselling for the abuse because it hurt her, mentally and physically. John Geddert, owner of the gymnastic center, was sued in 2017 because he failed to go to the police (Campbell, 2018). Geddert did not take this complaint seriously and failed to protect his athletes. “Larry Nassar: Former USA Gymnastics doctor transferred to high security prison,” an article written by Tom Barnes reports, “A string of senior officials at both USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University have also been forced to resign in recent weeks as the scale of Nassar’s abuse became clear.” These officials resigned because when the many women went to their coaches or higher ups, there were no investigations. They swept it under the rug and pretended like it never happened. MSU former head coach for gymnastics Kathie Klages was recently suspended then quit (Mencarini, 2017). According to Matt Mencarini, from the Lansing State Journal, he claims, “Klages in 1997 asked a teenage girl if Nassar had performed procedures that included digital vaginal and anal penetration on her. When the girl said yes, “Klages told (her) that there is no reason to bring up Nassar’s conduct,” attorneys wrote in the court documents.” Kathie did nothing to help her athlete get out of this situation. While Nassar was in court and the tough survivors were telling their stories, two daughters told their story. It was the first time their father, Randall Margraves, heard what Nassar did to them. As stated by LeBlanc, Mencarini, & Lacy in the article titled, “Father who rushed Nassar in court released from custody,” “I would ask you as part of this sentencing to grant me five minutes in a locked room with this demon," Randall Margraves said following his daughters' statements. The judge then said “No, I cannot allow that.” Resulting in him charging at the abuser. “Give me one minute with that bastard,” Margraves said after he was tackled (LeBlanc, Mencarini, & Lacy, 2017). Even after he was tackled he still wanted to be in a room with him. You could feel his anger and pain. This event took social media by storm. The video of Margraves being tackled was all over Twitter. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson @TheRock tweeted,” “We all understand this father’s action. Nassar’s punishment will go far beyond sentencing. Behind bars, he’ll soon know what hell means. He’ll be well taken care of.“ Johnson has two kids of his own; if this had happened to his children he would feel just has angry as Margraves. These are just a few of the causes and effects from this topic. Why didn’t anyone do something sooner?
Is a big question many are asking. In Kyle Stephens case, if her parents did not believe her, why did she not go to a school counselor or teacher? We are taught we can trust teachers and if they hear something that is harming to a child they have to stop it. In the USA Gymnastics and Olympians cases, there are rules that someone has to be in the room while a gymnast or any athlete is getting checked out for injuries. If a coach would have gone in, the athlete would not have been put in harm's way. Former MSU gymnastics head coach, Kathie Klages, could have put a stop to this. If she would have went to the police and parents of the athlete who confided in her, Nassar would have been put away long ago. The Larry Nassar sexual abuse case has taught society a very important lesson. The lesson is that women will no longer be silenced. Women are a forced to be reckoned with and are stronger than ever. Most importantly it sends a message to other abusers that they will not be able to get away with what they are doing
anymore.
The controversy is talked about so much because no one would think that the athlete would do some of the crimes they did. No one expects the athlete to do such a thing because we
...at because of the size of the children there would have been physical symptoms, no documented evidence of this sort was presented during the case. Out of 100 students no physical symptoms were ever recorded, and not one student said anything about abuse until four years later when the investigator was pursued (Silvergate, 2004) No parents ever filed complaints prior to police investigation. Because memories are malleable and children are even more vulnerable to authority, it is very probable that some children just complied to the leading questions due to fear, but is it possible that they all could? The influence of the investigators parallels to the influence of therapists in cases of sexually abused children's recovered memories.
Jerry Sandusky seemed like a nice guy until they found out he was convicted of sexually assaulting ten innocent children. His illness even progressed enough to rape his own adopted children. He is a monster. “Attorney Andrew Shubin issued a statement saying that Matt Sandusky sought him during the trial and ‘confirmed’ that he also had been abused” (Johnson 2). This statement shows that he would go to extreme measures to satisfy his sickness, even as far as sexually abusing his own child. Assistant coach Mike McQueary stated, “He told Paterno that he saw Sandusky in the shower with a young boy and heard a sickening slapping sound” (Scherer 1). Even though there was evidence against him, his overall character persuaded people, including the jury, to think better of him. This goes...
... athletes to do as they please. However he does not do a good job of being non-partisan. He leads his readers to believe the only group of people who would do such things are “jocks”. This bias is not true. The newspapers report that University fraternities, and secret societies are as likely, if not more likely, to commit these very same acts. He also leads the reader to believe that all athletes and athletic teams are similar. The impression he leaves about the majority of teams and their members is prejudicial and unfair. It is very unfortunate and disheartening that members of a community that were so highly reguarded, would commit such acts. It is even more disturbing to hear about the scenario leading up to the rape, and the community which produced these troubled young men. It is more important to look at why the events took place rather than who committed them, because ultimately the only innocent person involved is the victim, a mentally handicapped young girl, named Lesli Faber.
What would you do if you were a witness to child abuse today? Would you turn your head as if it were not your business, would you intervene immediately, or would you report the abuser to the authorities? It was approximately 1869 - 1870 when a woman named Charlotte Fiehling "cringed at the sound of the child's beating. She had heard it before, but had never laid eyes the child. The little girl was no more than five or six if she was a day, judging by her size, and her poor legs were striped with the welts of a whip, her body bruised from blows. Her hair matted and infested with vermin, no doubt, and she did not appear to have had a bath of any kind for many days, if not weeks" (qtd. In Shelman 187). This little girls name was Mary Ellen Wilson. Prior to 1874, the United States did not have any laws to protect children from abuse. Though society is still learning, we have come along way. There are still many cases of child abuse, but as a society we now have ways to intervene, and prevent this abuse and neglect. It was in 1874 when the first court case of child abuse was argued. It was the case of, Mary Ellen Wilson. Mary Ellen as a young girl was severely beaten with whips, burned with the iron, cut with scissors, not to mention the sexual, and emotional abuse. It was in 1874 that a major change in our legal system took place in society. The change was a realization to our legal system that we have to do something about children like Mary Ellen. We have learned many lessons from this alarming event. Now we have choices, now we can help, and now we have child protection services. This case has delivered us, as a society, many messages. I am going to point out two major lessons I found are crucial to how we do thi...
Jerry Sandusky seemed obviously guilty to most people, but certain details of the case may have caused dispute between the jurors. Kevin Johnson, author of “Sandusky Jury Hears Testimony”, stated, “The first of the eight victims said he suffered for five years of being forced into about fifty sexual encounters by Sandusky. Now twenty-eight, the witness said his interactions with Sandusky escalated from friendly tips and ‘soap battles’ in the showers of a Penn State locker room to inappropriate touching, then in 1997 veered into dozens of incidents of oral sex” (1). Along with the first boy, others came forward and admitted to being victims of Sandusky’s abuse, and they all had similar stories. People later came forward and admitted to seeing Sandusky performing these acts, but failed to report them. An instance of this happening occurred when “a janitor admitted to seeing Sandusky sexually offending a young boy in the locker room, but did not report it at the time” (Johnson “Sandusky Abuse Trial Moves Quickly” 1). Because the janitor did not report what he saw at this time, it weakened the credibility of his testimony. Another controversial point was brought about during the trial. I...
The debate over Title IX is a complex one, with many sides relentlessly attacking each other’s approaches regarding the law. The Title IX advocates, largely comprised of women’s organizations such as the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), take the approach that the law is the major reason women have achieved somewhat equal opportunities in athletics. The NWLC contends that abolishing Title IX would undo years of progress so far achieved. In sharp contrast with the Title IX advocates are the Title IX opponents, who are largely comprised of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (...
A penalty flag is down for a growing number of professional athletes. Some, accused of domestic violence, others charged with assault. What has caused this sudden increase in domestic violence by professional athletes? Nothing. There has not been any increase at all. Professional athletes have been beating and abusing women for a long, long time. Years ago, a lady called 911 and said that her husband was beating her. She wanted to file a report, but then asked the dispatcher if it was going to be in the paper the next day. When the dispatcher did not reply, the woman changes her mind about the report and hangs up (Cart). The woman was Sun Bonds, wife of professional athlete, Barry Bonds. Like the wives of other famous players, she was a victim of spousal abuse. Professional athletes are praised as heroes for what they do on the playing field, but what they do off the field is NEVER mentioned. As a very disappointed sports fan, I want to draw attention to the domestic violence cases that involve athletes.
A year and a half ago, Ray Rice was one of the top running backs in the National Football League. Rice had it all, money, fame, and a successful career in the pros, but who knew that Rice would be capable of such a terrible act of violence. Kids all over the country looked up to him for how he played the game and even how he acted. Rice made an impact in the lives of many young people due to his signature event, Ray Rice Day, where he gave hundreds of kids instruction and encouragement, and also fun by playing football.(Ray Rice Makes Impact in Youth Community,1). Adults looked up to Rice too, due to his multiple charities that he is very active in. Rice’s persona was great until February 15, 2014. On this date, Rice and his then fiancee, Janay Palmer, got into an altercation in an elevator in the early morning after a very long night of heavy drinking. Rice and Palmer got physical and Rice knocked her out, then continued to drag her out of the elevator. The police were called, and they were both arrested on the scene and taken to jail. Ray Rice tarnished his image after being such a respected person in the NFL community and all around the world. One camera
Sedlak, A.J. (February, 2001). A history of the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and
Sexual abuse by athletes is evident at every level, from high school team members to professional players. In the last decade, some of the most noted athletes in big league sports have been accused of sexually abusing or attacking women. In many cases, however, the woman decided not to bring it to public trial, and charges were dropped:
There is not a specific time or date when family violence began. But social scientist began studying family violence in the United States in the 1960’s. (Shehan, 2003) In the United States, the way in which children were punished for breaking the rules was often semi-violent or violent behavior. Violence was there when there was no family system. Violence comes in many forms physical, mental, emotion and sexual. Family violence involves domestic violence. During the women’s movement public awareness of the domestic abuse problem became known. The first shelter for battered women was open in 1974 and the shelter led to many opening of other shelters and domestic violence programs. By the 1990’s law enforcement stated to view domestic violence as a serious issue. Police protocol changed and arrest were being made. According to the National Survey violence in one relationship leads to violence in another relationship. (Shehan, 2003) Families provide training grounds for violence. If children see violence in their home they are mostly to portray violence in their everyday lives. Child abuse and maltreatment includes physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, in addition to neglect. Displays of child abuse and neglect include injuries inflicted by a child giver, head injury, and injury to organs. Head trauma is the leading cause of death in children. According to the World Health Organization, there were an estimated 57, 000 deaths attributed to homicide among children under 15 years of age in 2000.
During the 1950s there were no laws to protect battered women and assaults on women were not considered as a crime. Dorr (2008) explained that during a study that when women who were sexually assaulted that “neither [the boy] or the [investigators] termed [the assault as] rape” (Dorr, 2008, p. 35). Even though now it would be considered as rape back then laws and law enforcement did not see it as the man victimizing the woman. Only extreme cases went to courts and all others were seen as the norm. Similarly domestic abuse was considered as a private matter so police or courts did not get involved (Nursingworld.com, 2008 para. 20). When a man was abusing his wife it was normal and not viewed as a crime. It was seen as a way for a male to punish his wife for something she did wrong. To even solidify that domestic abuse wa...
Everyone is aware of the role that these athletes have to do. We should not look at the inappropriate actions of few athletes. The. I was biased to believing that all athletes are bad before I started. doing my research for this paper.
Child abuse is a social problem in America that has many contributed factors. Factors that contribute to child abuse and neglect includes poverty, divorce, substance use, lack of education, stress due to unemployment, mental health issues, teenage parent, and a history of child abuse in the family. It took decades for physicians to conclude that parents have been violently assaulting their children. Child abuse, child labor, juvenile delinquency, and similar social questions historically were ethical and moral problems, not strictly medical ones. (Helfer, Kempe, & Krugman, 1997). In 1962, the Journal of American Medical Association published “The Battered-Child Syndrome.” The article transformed society’s views and dates the rediscovery of child abuse as a social problem. Following this article, the U.S. Children’s Bureau adopted the first laws mandating physicians to report any suspicions of abuse and neglect to the police or child welfare. By 1974, some 60,000 cases were reported. In 1980, the number exceeded one million (Myers J. E., 2004).