U.S. Olympic Gymnasts Demand Accountability for Sexual Abuse

Today, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols, gave gut-wrenching testimony during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the FBI’s complete failure in handling the Larry Nassar investigation. According to the Washington Post, at least 40 girls and women said they were molested after the FBI had been made aware of allegations against Nassar in 2015.

McKayla Maroney said, “I think for so long all of us questioned, just because someone else wasn’t fully validating us, that we doubted what happened to us. And I think that makes the healing process take longer."

While this case caught the world's attention, the troubling reality is that child sexual abuse victims in our community are too often ignored, discredited, and blamed when they report abuse or reach out for help from individuals and institutions. Hearing these strong women speak out about how hard it was to come forward and the abhorrent response they received when they did speak up is heartbreaking. We must do better. When individuals' and institutions' actions and inaction enable perpetrators, they must be held responsible criminally and civilly.

“If you allow a predator to harm children, the consequences will be swift and severe. Enough is enough,” stated Simone Biles.

Stopping child abuse is everyone's responsibility. If you suspect a child is being sexual abused, make a report immediately: 1-800-392-3738 Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline

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