A Human Canvas-in the darkness of childhood abuse and neglect-Volume 9-"A New Way to Wear the SCARLET LETTER A-ABUSER"
A Social Worker's Journal
So, let's consider this article, as a to-do on my Social Worker's "bucket list".
I'm sure a good many of us remember the Gothic Romance, "The Scarlet Letter" written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. To recap, the story took place in a setting (Boston) in 1642. The storyline became a classic example of the human conflict between emotion and intellect. The main character, an adulterer, was forced to wear a Scarlet "A" to mark her shame-the nature of her evil, for all to see.
Well, with this in mind, it hit me. In my articles on child abuse and neglect, and how I feel that justice in many incidences is not served, I put this idea on my bucket list, in hopes that in my lifetime, it could happen. That for all those child abusers out there who walk our streets after they have "murdered" the innocence, and violated the bodies and spirits of our babies, our children, our future, maybe they too, should wear the sign of the Scarlet A. A for Abuser. Why not? Would they be afraid? Would they feel that they would be violated? Would they feel like they were targeted? Good! They should. This type of criminal, and they are just that, criminals, have no right to walk our streets freely, and carry on with life, when they took it upon themselves to destroy others. In most situations, they go on to commit more crimes on the young and vulnerable, and what's even more criminal is that they get away with it, because they fall through the cracks, or agree to take part in some rehabilitation program, while they are out on the streets. Maybe if they had to wear a Scarlet Letter A, for the rest of us to see, it could protect others that could see them coming.
When will our justice system act on these crimes against children, to the best of its ability? When will the punishment fit the crime? As a society, by having these criminals labeled as such, we could at least feel safer knowing who they are. When a child is hurt, abused, or molested in some way, they are "marked", and many times their abusers come back again and again to commit that same crime. We should be able to mark those abusers for their crimes against society. We should have the right to protect ourselves and our children.
Creating apparel for the child abuser to wear may be a "novel" idea from a popular novel, but wouldn't it make sense to make someone aware when danger is near? The "system" can work, but if even one child is hurt because of system failure, then, the system needs fixing.
I say we start fixing it with a clothing line mandation, Abuser Apparel. Let the logo speak for itself..."Stay Away-I wear the Letter A".
(In the following poetry, please know that the children who experienced the abuse, did so, at the hands of their own parents.)
COBWEBS
Nothing's clear, except my fear.
Alone is something, I just can't bear.
Why, oh why, can't mommy see
that all her boyfriends just want me?
I run and tell her every time.
She just blames me, that fault, is mine.
I guess I'll have to wait and see,
if someone else comes rescue me.
Until that time, oh, mom of mine,
I'll just pretend, I'll be just fine.
I'm out of ways to clear the haze.
I'll wait and wish for savior days.
Kim Diaz 2012
SNAKE CHARMER
Baby girl would play the game.
Her daddy's snake she'd have to tame.
She always wore her necklaces,
and forced her many fake faces.
He had her dance, as if in trance,
she'd throw at him a zombie glance.
She told her teacher, daddy's game.
The state was called, they gave his name.
Some upstanding type of guy.
Political kind, someone could buy.
He lied, he paid, and got away.
No days in jail, gave him clear way.
Snake Charmer played his cards real well.
While baby girl's in private hell.
Kim Diaz 2012
