Call for Policy to Increase Protection for Victims of Ritual Abuse in San Diego, Part I - Page 4
© Ellen Lacter, PhD
Everyone is very sympathetic to San Diego County wishing to avoid 1) prosecution of innocent people, 2) expensive lawsuits, and 3) embarrassment to public agencies. False accusations of child abuse wreak emotional devastation on the accused and the children. No one wants the county to waste money, when there are so many deserving people in need of services. And it is to everyone's advantage when public agencies perform their functions well and are trusted by the community.
However, there is no question that many reports of ritualistic abuse are founded. There will come a day when law enforcement investigators, psychotherapists, and child protection workers can share their information, with no fear of reprisal, with an Interagency Investigative Team trained in the special considerations involved in investigation and prosecution of ritual abuse, and protected by legislation to carry out its work. (For an analysis of the special considerations involved in these investigations, see "Forensic Considerations in Ritual Trauma Cases, by Sylvia Lynn Gillotte, Attorney-at-Law, http://www.iccrt.org/articles.asp?articl... ) When the truth about ritual abuse is publically exposed, San Diego's leaders and citizens will be moved to action to protect its victims.
B. The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune is, by far, the most widely circulated newspaper in San Diego County.
For the past ten years, reporters Mark Sauer and Jim Okerblom have written a series of articles for the Union-Tribune discrediting victims of ritual abuse and their advocates, including therapists treating ritual abuse victims and patients with recovered memories of childhood abuse, professional organizations advocating for victims of ritual abuse, police officers investigating reports of ritual abuse, legislators who have tried to introduce anti-ritual crime legislation, and now, professional education about ritual abuse. This biased reporting has greatly contributed to convincing a good portion of the San Diego community that ritual abuse does not exist, has exerted tremendous political pressure on public agencies and political candidates, and has had a devastating impact on victimized children and adults, resulting in their not being believed by many mental health professionals, and reduced protection by law enforcement and the courts. Due to this media blitz, and the parallel media campaign of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF), some therapists discount histories of ritual abuse provided by their clients, and diagnose these clients as delusional rather than as having a trauma disorder. Incorrect diagnosis results in the provision of the wrong psychiatric medication and the wrong type of psychotherapy, exacerbating, rather than ameliorating, the abuse survivor's psychological pain.
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