A Sad State of Affairs for Children and Society

Hello and Good Morning to everyone! It has been almost a month since I have put pen to paper and discussed the issues that are making headlines today. It is a sad state of affairs when children who have been placed into the cyclical process known as foster care are forced into prostitution and made to endure what others would never speak about…sexual abuse.

From the Press - I woke two days ago to read a Huffington Post article of a man in Ohio who was arrested after “pimping” his adopted 10 year old son out to several friends. To say this story is revolting is an understatement…to think that it is an isolated event is both ignorant and dangerous...for it happens with a greater relevance then we can even imagine or comprehend.  

“A 10-year-old boy shook when asked about being prostituted to two other men by an adoptive father who regularly had sex with him…as the boy was fearful of talking because he didn’t want to be taken from his home or separated from his new siblings.”

I am sure that the “parent” in this case set the conditions so that he could initially exploit this child for his own use by leveraging the child’s need to belong…and then using that for a greater perversion…by allowing others to participate. I can only imagine the psychological pain these kids had to endure as I have known and worked with others who have gone through the same…it is something that never leaves you. This story – in and of itself - would be bad enough however, as you read through it and you see the words “Craigslist” and “Internet” you come to realize that it is no longer something confined to the backstreets or back-woods of America but that it has now entered the domain of the computers that sit in our own homes. You can "peddle flesh" and find like minded deviants to participate in your perversion in your own town or while on vacation…if you only know where to look.

“He had been led to the adoptive father by another man who had posted a Craigslist ad wanting “taboo” sex”

I have always been an advocate of 21^st century technology to better the lives of all of us…what happened here was a systematic collapse of a series of checks and balances that are part of any good system…especially one that places children into foster care. The local Dayton, Ohio news circuit is stating that the accused was a single “gay man” – sexual orientation aside the question that begs to be asked is how was this missed….a gay man adopting 3 male children? In an age of cutbacks and decreased budgets this seems to have been a major lapse in common sense. I am sure there will be a series of follow-on stories that address this so I will stop here…other than to say…outrageous!

When I look at this story, I can’t help but recall the iceberg analogy…”it’s not what you see above the water…its what’s below the water that will sink the ship” – how many others suffer in silence at the hands of those who wield some measure of “power” over them? How many other kids out there suffer…or have suffered over the years at the hands of those who were supposed to protect them? The numbers would surprise us…and therefore many of us do not even ask the question…until it is too late.

How to protect those that can’t help themselves

Our company - Life On Point Consultants - has taken a proactive approach in the prevention of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. As many of you know we are now active across the globe and as such can speak about much of what happens out there…from the “flesh markets” in Thailand to the child abuse issues in the Middle East…it is horrific and affects even those that don’t realize it is happening. The outcry for what has happened to those children in Ohio has been huge…the problem is that for every single incident that makes the Huffington Post or New York Times  the question becomes how many more are out there and how many more women and children are being subjected to this and other like abuses across the globe. The figures are shocking!

We should always remember...and take note;

“The world is a dangerous place to live not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don’t do anything about it”

More to follow…and many…many more...to hold accountable…thanks for following!