@Romeo Fabulini,
Romeo Fabulini wrote:
Don Stratton says he and others were abused at the Florida School for Boys during the 1960s.
Huh, his story'd carry more weight if he hadn't waited 50 years to report it!
Same with all other alleged abuse victims (male and female) who make allegations against people many years later, it can't have been serious or the police would have been involved right back then..
I can't begin to tell you how appalled I am by this comment.
My ex-husband was in a boys home for several years in the 1960s. When we were married I knew that he had had a pretty terrible time there, but it's only in the last few years that he has been able to talk about it. He was repeatedly raped, physically abused, starved and generally treated like ****. There were nights when he would go to bed, there would be a kid in the bed next to his and when he woke up in the morning that boy would be gone, and never seen again. The kids learned pretty quick not to ask questions.
They also learned not to complain about being hungry or cold.
Why didn't they report it at the time? Who to? Who was going to believe them? Who could they even trust enough? The people running these homes were pillars of society. The one my ex-husband was in was a Salvation Army home. Who would believe that the Salvos would do these things?
Why does it take fifty years to come forward?
Because they carry a load of shame, embarrassment, humiliation and despair.
It takes one brave person to speak up, then others come forward as well, because they realise they are not alone.
