Marathon bomber’s friends arrested for cover up: dramatic example of peer pressure gone wrong

I am just getting back from a week of Kidpower/Teenpower instructor training in Santa Cruz California. We have been teaching young teenagers how to resist peer pressure, including an instance where a friend asks them to cover up for them. Now comes the dramatic headline news that three buddies of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are facing federal charges for helping Tsarnaev hide the evidence of his crimes–even after they came to believe that he was involved in the bombings. This was a monumental... Read more

Rehtaeh’s devastated father: My daughter was disappointed to death

There has been so much tragic news lately that it is hard to even keep up. But I can hardly think of a story that has saddened me more than that of 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons’ suicide, which happened this week, seventeen months after reporting being gang raped by four schoolmates. After her reported sexual assault, Rehtaeh was revictimized by her attackers spreading photos of her rape on social media that went viral. Even with those photographs in circulation, which you would think... Read more

UNC Chapel Hill must support those who report sexual assault

Here in Chapel Hill we are dealing with the shocking news that a woman who reported her sexual assault complaint through the UNC Honor Court is now facing “an Honor Court trial herself, accused of ‘intimidating behavior’ against a fellow student she says raped her.” Now she could potentially face a range of punishments, up to and including expulsion. I am so angry about this. I was in a coffee house this morning in line with a lot of UNC students and I wanted to jump... Read more

We need churches to Put Safety First, but we are not all on the same page yet

The whole concept of child safety can truly be stated in essence, “Put Safety First,” which sounds so simple, but can actually be very difficult to achieve. One of the biggest obstacles is figuring out what to do when you find you are part of an organization that is failing to do all it can to protect children. I believe very strongly that in that case there is no choice to stand by and do nothing. So when you find yourself in this situation,you either need to do all you can to... Read more

Washington DC musings: Abuse prevention, equality, and social justice

Watching President Obama deliver his second Inaugural address this week, I was struck by how much the President referred back to our country’s founding principles, emphasizing equality for all. The Declaration of Independence and Constitution were full of visionary ideas that have taken us more than 236 years to fully realize. It is just really sinking in for me how ambitious the Founding Fathers’ ideas were, that all men are created equal and we all deserve life, liberty and the... Read more