The truth about child abuse

Dear Editor,

While I usually try to avoid reading Ann Coulter's column, the headline "A Culture of Child Rape" caught my eye.

Coulter asserts "There's a cultural acceptance of child rape in Latino culture that doesn't exist in even the most dysfunctional American ghettos."

I find this statement to be racist and misinformed.

While the handful of examples she uses are upsetting, they are by no means unique to Latino culture or ghettos. Most child victims of sexual assault in this country know their abuser. Most often it is a family member or family friend. Sadly, if the abuse becomes known, sometimes, family members are reluctant to call the police.

This may be because of the threat of lost income the family depends on, shame at having the abuse go public, living in denial that the abuse will stop if confronted internally, not wanting a loved one to go to prison.

It is not uncommon for abuse to start with a father or grandfather and later continue from brothers. Mothers who were abused as children can sink into a trance of denial using the same coping mechanism that helped them survive their own childhood abuse. While most victims do not become abusers, almost all abusers have been victims.

Child sexual abuse and family collusion occur among the wealthy, the poor, the middle class, all races, religions and in all parts of our country.

In my 11 years consulting at Graterford Prison's sex offender program and 30 years working with victims, it is in fact most heart-wrenching to hear of multiple family members involved in the abuse of a child. It is a problem Americans have to grapple with.

Nancy Blaha, LCSW BCD

Lehighton