When the conversation shifts to who the perpetrator is not, children are erased from the center of the story. That misdirection steals the focus from
When the conversation shifts to who the perpetrator is not, children are erased from the center of the story. That misdirection steals the focus
from where it belongs—on the harmed child, their safety, and their healing. A true child-protection lens never asks us to defend adults first. It calls us to protect children, period.
Every time we rush to clarify who the abuser isn’t, we risk abandoning the child who was. The center of gravity must remain on children—their voices, their safety, their right to grow up free from harm. Anything else distracts from the urgent and necessary work of protection.
When the spotlight shifts to defending adults, children disappear into the shadows. That’s how predators win. A perpetrator’s reputation should never weigh more than a child’s safety. Our fight is not to clear names—it is to clear the path for children to grow up free from fear.
Keep the focus where it belongs: on protecting our children, not protecting abusers.