SOUTH FLORIDA – As the sickening drama over accusations of sexual abuse by a Supreme Court nominee continues, it is probably appropriate for our Caribbean-American community to face the fact of this mongrel behavior.
Maybe the most important questions which has been asked about this and other cases, is why did the accuser take so long to disclose the abuse which took place decades ago.
Well, the answer is simple, the victim did not say anything because the abuse was possible in the first place.
Ask anyone who has been so abused and they will explain that the abuser is usually someone of privilege and social position, who will say to the victim, “nobody will believe you, because I am such and such”, all the while continuing to force themselves on the victim.
But add to that, the fact that the woman, many times the young girl, especially, is made to feel guilty, is made to feel that accusing such a prominent individual has to be earth shattering for a young usually less socially placed individual.
So, what happens is that sexual abuse is compounded by social and class abuse by the privileged.
These individuals will actually tell their victims that they are really entities to be used with no recourse to justice or just plain fair treatment.
This has been happening in our own Caribbean-American community, and continues to happen, and needs to be acknowledged and the perpetrators, of whatever hue or status, need to be brought to justice, and not discreetly either. They must be publicly outed and disgraced before being sent off to prison. This has to stop!
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Photo Credit: Leroy “Dreamy” Riley
