Legacy of inaction shouldn't define Virginia

By Betty Wade Coyle

The nation has put Joe Paterno, the famed Penn State football coach, to rest. He died leaving two legacies.

The first was because of his action. He built a winning sports program with strong values and a devoted following.

The second legacy came because of his inaction. In the last year of his career, a sordid, long-lasting child sexual abuse scandal became public involving one of his assistant coaches, Jerry Sandusky, and the Penn State football facilities. Because Paterno's name is the one everyone recognizes, it quickly became attached to the tangled web of personal and institutional inaction that allowed an alleged serial child molester to continue his perversions in numerous venues.

As the prosecution of this case continues, it appears that the scope of the alleged rapist's activities extended from his home to almost every activity in which he spent time with young boys.

What makes this so horrifying, and what has given the Penn State community such distress, is the role of bystanders, who knew what was going on and failed to try to stop it. So many people knew, and so many people did nothing.

It is a shame that when a child is raped, people just don't call the police. If someone breaks into your home or steals your wallet or punches you in the face, you call the cops. If the victim is a defenseless child - even more important to make that call - people freeze or minimize and do nothing.

Reluctance to report child abuse is why we have mandated reporter laws.

Nearly 20 bills have been introduced in the General Assembly this year that involve reporting child abuse or death to the authorities. They are attempts to address the loopholes in Virginia's law that mirror the loopholes in Pennsylvania's laws, the ones that allowed bystanders in the Sandusky affair to escape public sanction.

Virginia wants to do better. But creating laws that expand categories of mandated reporters, that increase the penalties if mandated reporters do not report or shorten the time frame for reporting are only part of the response.

Increasing the number of people with a legally mandated responsibility to protect children will result in an increased number of reports to police and to social services. In fact, since the Penn State charges have become public, local agencies are already seeing an increase in the number of reports of suspected child sexual abuse.

But if the system does not have the capacity to respond to increased reports of child abuse in a way that protects children, this new legislation might not help. It may even hurt the children it seeks to protect.

This is why it is critically important to connect the legislative work of the General Assembly with its budget work. While new laws will give law enforcement and social services more work, the proposed budget reduces agency funding, thereby diminishing the ability to protect children.

One of the most harmful proposals being made in the current session is one that eliminates all state funding for child advocacy centers.

There are 17 such centers around the state, and each provides a child-friendly, neutral setting where children who are suspected victims of abuse can tell their story, be heard and receive services. Their mission includes helping children give accurate statements regarding alleged abuse, providing them trauma-focused mental health services and remaining in their corner to support them.

The centers also help by coordinating all agencies charged with investigating child abuse, thereby reducing system trauma to children and reducing the workload of the public agencies. The centers increase the rate of successful prosecutions and are cost effective, saving the state about $1,300 per case.

Last year Virginia's child advocacy centers served nearly 3,000 children. The result of the proposed funding cut will be that significantly fewer children will be served. Funding for the centers comprises a minuscule portion of the state budget, but for many of the smaller centers, that funding is critical for survival.

Let's hope the members of the General Assembly do not become bystanders and permit these cuts to be enacted. Joe Paterno's primary legacy, the one of action and excellence, should be our guide as we work to become better protectors of Virginia's children.

Guest columnist Betty Wade Coyle is executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Hampton Roads. Email: ucantbeatkids@yahoo.com.