I thought the interview was good. I will turn in on Friday to see the interview with two of the sisters.

Here is a link to the interview...

http://www.foxnews.com/shows/the-kelly-file.html

I didn't see it but read several articles covering it. All of the headlines made it sound as if major and salacious details were revealed. However, that wasn't the case. Basically they say they believed this whole unfortunate matter was behind them. They didn't believe the girls were negatively impacted because they were sleeping and/or very young. What does everyone here think about that? I mean conventional wisdom states that any and all sex offenses cause huge psychological damage to the victims. Is that true? It will be very interesting to hear from the girls themselves.

I was waiting for this kind of question....

There could be two avenues of thought on this.... The first being that what he did was horrific, will mar those girls for life, ruin all their future relationship, their financial stability and mental stability for the rest of their lives... This could be true....

Then there is the other school of thought. If the behavior was addressed in a way that not only counselled the girls that they did nothing wrong but also educated them about the situation fully. That their brother received treatment and counselling, never again behaving in that manner. So it begs the question, who is really abusing those girls? Their brother or the public? Because all I see right now is an abusing public using the media to get more information. Because the media wouldn't produce it if it didn't get the masses all riled up. So who is really to blame for these girls now being victimized by the media? The Public.

I wonder how much psychological damage the act of abuse does vs what the adults that find out about it do in an effort to 'protect' the child. I sometimes believe that the 'cure' (someone getting caught and both victim and offender getting persecuted) is far worse than the abuse itself..

Totally agree, Wisconsin. For example, our granddaughter considered our house "home" because her parents moved frequently and were unstable people. Apparently, when she reported what happened, she believed it would be kept in confidence. Of course, it wasn't and she was suddenly deprived of the only place that she felt was stable in her life....suddenly. People who she loved were suddenly turned into objects of hate.

Abuse not withstanding, that had to be incredibly damaging. Of course, I don't know about any of the fallout because I am now an "object of hate." Its completely insane.

I couldn't agree more about the public and media. Potentially, the parents handled it how they believed it to best be handled and now all these years later they are publicly humiliated over something that was possibly not hugely traumatic to them and is now well into their distant past. While the criminal justice system can force the issue out into the open and even force what it believes to be the best treatment for victims, it is possible that sometimes parents could and do handle it better. And certainly the disruption to family dynamics must be a huge traumatizing factor. I would imagine there is some serious self-blame in coming forward when the result is tearing families apart. And frankly, all the hate for Josh himself seems entirely misplaced. He was a kid, tearfully reported each transgression to his parents and has presumably gone on to be an upstanding member of society (his politics aside). I can't say I'm a fan but the vitriol is truly frightening, especially how often he is referred to as a pedophile when the definition of that word is clearly not understood by the vast majority of the public.

I will not minimize those that have been brutally raped or sexually assaulted where, for them in their situation, it really has marred them for life. There are some experiences that you just can't "unexperience".

But I also believe that it is still very individual to each situation. Duggars are a perfect example as are many others that are in our system now. Not saying that the behavior should be condoned, but if it can be treated and counselled, then there is no reason for Law enforcement to get involved. They are not here to protect and serve that child, but they are paid to protect and serve the statues and laws of the jurisdiction that they preside over. Which doesn't really protect the child much at all. In fact it opens them up to abuse from the judicial system, their peers in school, the public in their daily lives, social media storms that we have all seen and experienced, etc... I believe that for the vast majority of folks that are caught up in these laws, the victims would have been harmed less if things had been handled without law enforcement.

True. Go to the post "incredible article." The evidence says that parents are the first line and most effect form of prevention. But what if the parent is the offender? Gets complicated, huh?

I think there should be a separate "sex offender court". Take all of this out of the regular court system, unless it really needs to go there. There needs to be a separate type of "grand jury" that reviews each case and recommends treatments and whether law enforcement needs to be involved. Restorative justice should be the first approach with the goal of minimizing damage.

Think I want to upturn this system? Dam straight. Like we are personalizing medicine, we need to personalize this system. Why? Because in 95% of cases, the victim is known to the offender, making it primarily a disorder of relationship.

This would also separate out the true "bad guys" from the people who just didn't know, or the juveniles who were experimenting, or the people with mental illness or ....well the list goes on, hey? It would also increase the number and effectiveness of interventions. I've always though...if we want people to obey the law, we have to be responsible to educating them about the law and helping them to succeed as non offenders in the community.

Wouldn't it be amazing if we could do that?

It would be amazing especially for non violent first time offenders!

"They don't have a right to do this. We're victims. They can't do this to us," an emotional Jill, 24, told Kelly of the widespread media attention after the claims were made public.

"The system that has set up to protect kids -- both those who make stupid mistakes or have problems like this in their life -- and the ones that are affected by those choices, it's just … it's greatly failed," 22-year-old Jessa added.

http://www.etonline.com/news/165626_jessa_and_jill_duggar_speak_out_we_re/

And then there's this article. It seems to insinuate that the only course of action that would properly help the victims would have been via the criminal justice system and also that there is no difference, as far as how much trauma a victim endures, between this and forcible rape. I don't know where the truth lies as far as these victims are concerned (or any other victim for that matter) but it is interesting that a victim's word is considered gold when they are making an accusation but when they are asserting that they are ok and would like the publicity to stop, then they are minimizing.

https://www.yahoo.com/health/the-duggars-defense-of-joshs-molestations-is-120706278747.html

Additionally, the misuse of the word pedophile, even by "journalists", continues to be troubling.

Excellent thoughts! More nuanced evaluations and outcomes are needed.

Speaking to victim impact. I in no way see that the sexual abuse I suffered destroyed my life. Was it a contributing factor in the evolution of my becoming an abuser? Being sexualized as a child was not good but I would say compared to all of the other contributing factors it was minimal. Not unimportant, but minimal.

The truth is the impact a victim experiences is a very individual thing and for victim advocates to overgeneralize, as I've read numerous times, is insulting to many victim's inner strength, grace and resolve. Are some people irreparable damaged? Yes absolutely, and that is terribly tragic. I would say in the Duggar situation these girls are being newly victimized by the media's insatiable lust for dirt and the resurfacing of the issue.

My counselor recently relayed a story about a little girl he sees who told him when he inquired as to why she was particularly upset during a visit, "i'm mad at my daddy" she said. He asked, because he touched you? She replied, no, I forgave him for that, I'm mad that he had to go to jail and leave us. I'm mad my friends parents won't let them play with me.True story.

I know my victim, like this little girl forgave the offense but is hurting more over the fall out of consequences that profoundly effected her and the entire family. I brought on the consequences, no one else, she has every right to be very angry with me, but the state never for a second weighed these factors in my case or thousands like it. I honestly think we might have healed as a family and quite possibly have been stronger for it had the matter stayed in the family or had there been a sexual offender court in place.

Truth is the "bad guys" Peek refers to in these situations generally comprise less than 3%

I thought he was rationalizing the whole deal. They did not get him counseling. Is he now facing charges?
I feel they were minimizing the act, I don't know if they are doing their son any justice by having this interview, to me the family seems like they are high and mighty. I only saw a portion on a news clip so I will have to go back and listen to the full interview.

Here's a comment I had the priveledge of seeing on FB:

I am risking posting on this comment...because, I have a different viewpoint on this. I AM a survivor of sexual abuse. My perpetrator was also a family member...someone who was supposed to protect and love me; my father. Facts are important, and it is important to note that in 93% of abuse cases, the victim knows her/his perpetrator. My situation of abuse was different; in this circumstance, the 'perpetrator' listened to his conscious and reported his behavior to his parents. His parents listened, believed (unlike mine) and set up safe-guards to protect their daughters. Yes, they waited, perhaps too long to send this teen-ager out of the home, but I ask the question, how many of us, as parents, would take that bold move without serious angst? Oh--we can say we would, but how is that measurable. My perpetrator was never removed from the home...nor was I believed. Quite frankly, this is the more normal reaction than how the Duggars handled this. How I wish someone, anyone, just one person would have listened to my story, recognized my acting out, and not judged me for not knowing how to cope with violations. How I wish my perpetrator would have been reported to the local police...I, in fact, took myself to the police and their response? "Where are the bruises?" "Where is the proof?" So you see, although I risk negative comments to my viewpoint....I share it to offer this: Many, many victims are not listened to, not protected, not valued. Minimally, the Duggars did ALL of these things. Furthermore, this is an unfortunate situation because, although I voluntarily share my own abuse when appropriate, the girls in this case were not offered that opportunity. The media has become their perpetrator by exposing something that happened to them as juveniles. In our system, juveniles are protected from this exposure. It has taken me years to BELIEVE I was not to blame...not to feel shame....and not to be embarrassed. These girls are barely adults--and have yet had the opportunity to understand they don't have to feel shame or blame. I am most sad about the emotional well-being of these young women...for this is a re-violation of their heart. I hope you will hear my hearts intent...I do not judge the haters...nor do I respect those that say...shove this under the rug. This is a tremendously important topic and families' need to talk about it before it happens--not after. Just feel strongly about the commentaries from the 'haters' and feel compelled to add my two cents worth.

I think how it's handled after a victim comes forward, has a lot to do with how they heal. If they're told that it will negatively impact them for life, and they internalize it, than yeah it might...sometimes well meaning can do more damage than the actual abuse itself.