While I'm at it, I'd like to address this one specifically to HOTYH and LinasK.
HOTYH, you said that there was no prima facie evidence that JB suffered prior molestation. Well, I've asked for LinasK's help on this because I get the feeling that you won't take my word for what I'm about to say, but I'll say it anyway and then she can weigh in.
For the sake of argument, let's say you're right. What you're overlooking is that one of the big problems with child sexual abuse--if not THE biggest single problem--is that so very often, there is no obvious evidence of it, even when it happens. Many forms of abuse leave no signs at all.
Moreover, child sexual abuse knows no ethnic, racial or societal bounds. It happens even in "good" families. We all know about the stereotypes of who preys on children: the dirty old man down the street, the creep in sunglasses with a bag of candy, etc. This prejudice may very well be one reason why so much sexual abuse of children goes undetected. We think we're all so hip to the problem and that these creeps are so easy to spot, but the sad fact is that literally EVERY SINGLE THING has to go completely right for one of these creeps to get caught. And as any cop will tell you, when they DO get caught, it's almost never with their first victim.
How much of it goes undetected, you ask? Well, that's hard to say. Let's try to put it in perspective:
According to at least one FBI statistic I read, as many as 60% of rape victims do not report their rapes. Of the ones that do, only about 40% of the rapists are arrested. Of those arrested, only about 15% ever see prison time. The reason for this is obvious: because rape is the only crime where the victim can be victimized twice, first by the act itself, then by having to relive it to the police and then in court, where slimy defense lawyers will drag them through hell and back. For most of them, it's just not worth the trauma.
And bear in mind: these are adult women, supposedly in complete control of their faculties. Imagine now how hard it must be for a small child to come forward. It's their innocence and inability to fight back that makes them such tempting targets. They don't always know it's wrong, and if the perp is a loved one, they may come to associate it with love. More than one child has said that they liked it. Others simply process it as part of life and move on. We keep being told what to look for in abused children: sexual acting out, compulsive masturbation, exaggerated startle reflex, etc. But something like 80% of abused children show NO behavioral symptoms.
And even if they DO know it's wrong, children are extremely easy to manipulate through bribery or intimidation. Couple that with the child's own fear that if they do tell an adult, the adult won't believe them and might punish them for telling "lies," especially if the perp is a loved one.
There, I've said my piece. You guys can weigh in now.
