News headlines in Phoenix, AZ – January 30, 2006 (CBS 5 NEWS) – Ernest Figueroa, 28, a worker at The Salvation Army Nursery for Young Children, is in custody for felony sexual offenses against a two-year-old boy years. .

CBS News reported, “It’s a disgusting crime and most parents can’t even think about it.” Therein lies the reason why sex offenders can abuse children.

The survivor’s parents are speaking out to warn others. It is commendable that these parents are willing to speak out to warn others. My question is, “What stopped you from taking action before your son was abused?” The answer is simple: “It’s a disgusting crime that most parents can’t even think about.” Therefore, they make a complaint and hope that the management (authority figure) of the daycare center will protect their child.

The parents said they were concerned about Figueroa’s behavior towards their son and reportedly spoke to the daycare director about him several times. The director of the nursery assured them that he would never be alone with his daughter, but that is exactly what happened, they found him alone in the bathroom with the two-year-old girl. Here lies a myth about sexual offenders, which apparently neither the parents nor the nursery director are aware of.

First, we must accept that sex offenders (pedophiles, sexual attraction to preteens; or ephebophiles, sexual attraction to adolescents) behave as average and ordinary in the world. He or she may be a leader in the church; community; or business. Pedophiles/Ephebophiles rarely fit a classic stereotype of upbringing, socioeconomic status, career, or culture. Furthermore, sexual abuse/incest is more difficult to believe or accept when the person we know, appreciate, admire, love and/or marry is the perpetrator. This is precisely why those uneducated in profiling a sex offender unknowingly become experts in the intentions of these cunning predators.

Pedophiles/Ephebophiles are cunning predators with a perfected mode of operation. They are experts at manipulation, thus escaping adult reality and frustrating detection. They feel entitled, justifying their actions as loving; not harm the child. They expend considerable energy maintaining this illusion for themselves and others. They create a personality of irreproachable kindness. They try very hard to present themselves as exemplary people who love children. They are predators that stalk their prey and no amount of ‘watching or monitoring’ will stop them from achieving their goal.

An employee at the Salvation Army daycare center was very upset to hear this news, because she says that concerns about Figueroa and her interest in this child were brought to the attention of the director of the daycare center by the daycare employees and his parents and nothing was done. nothing. While the day care director has a responsibility to keep the children in his or her care safe, parents are equally responsible for keeping their children safe. Because the parents were concerned about Figueroa’s contact with their child, they had a responsibility to protect her, even if it meant taking her child to another daycare.

Police say Figueroa admitted to sexually assaulting the girl after they found him alone with her. She also reportedly told police that she had been abusing children for the past 15 years. She had been working at The Salvation Army Nursery for the past three months.

He said he was fired from a job in California for doing the same thing and CBS 5 News learned that he worked at another Phoenix daycare and passed a background check on his fingerprints.

The Salvation Army daycare said they do background checks on their employee, but did not say if they checked Figueroa’s references.

Having worked with survivors of child sexual abuse for twenty-five years, this story is all too common. Child sexual abuse is the largest hidden epidemic in the world. Prevention has eluded the whole of society, even passionate and committed prevention advocates, because they have focused their efforts entirely on repairing the damage.

While most experts agree that no child is a match for a predatory adult, this does not mean that we can ignore the facts or neglect to empower our children with the best possible tools. Empowering our children with knowledge such as teaching them to protest when any touch doesn’t feel right could frustrate the abuser or alert someone that something is wrong. There are six kid-tested, parent-approved techniques that kids as young as two can learn to thwart most would-be sex offenders.

Ultimately, each adult is responsible for protecting children so that they can reach their full potential, free from adults who can exploit and disrupt that divine gift: unconditional trust and integrity.