Here is an excerpt from the foreword of this book (written by Gavin de Becker):
~*~
I'm beginning this Foreword as I will close it: Thank you, Anna Salter, for casting your authoritative light on sexual abuse while most people find it easier to look away or even deny that it exists. It is easier for most parents to wring their hands about the unknown molester who might wander into the neighbourhood, than to accept that someone who they invited into the house is sexually abusing their child - even though the majority of sexual abuse is committed by someone the family knows.
Hard as it is to accept the idea that a well-liked neighbour or family friend might be sexually abusing a child, imagine the idea that it's someone in your own family. It's easy to replace that unwelcome thought with a warmer one like, "Not in this family."
And yet one in three girls and one in six boys will have sexual contact with an adult, so it must be occurring in someone's family...
If a discussion requires exploration of harsh truths some parents will try to wriggle away: "Talking about those things, you just bring them on," or "Yes, I know all about that stuff; can we please change to a happier subject?" Under pressure, though, they will ultimately acknowledge the risks, realising that appearing to know is often the best defence against unwanted knowledge. These parents are not stupid - to the contrary, there is brilliance in the creative ways that they exclude their children from the discussion. "You're so right," they say: "Sexual abuse is an enormous problem, particularly for young teens. Thank God mine aren't there yet."
No, sorry, says reality, the most common age at which sexual abuse begins is three.
"Well sure, if you have homosexuals around small children, there's a risk."
No, sorry, says reality, most sexual abuse is committed by heterosexual males.
"Yeah, but that kind of pervert isn't living in our neighbourhood."
Sorry, says reality, but that kind of pervert IS living in your neighbourhood. The Department of Justice estimates that on average, there is one child molester per square mile in the United States.
"Well, at least the police know who these people are."
Not likely, says reality, since the average child molester victimises between 50 and 150 children before he is ever arrested (and many more after he is arrested).
When all defenses against reality are taken away, some parents switch to resignation, literally resigning from responsibility: "Well, there's nothing you can do about it anyway." This misplaced fatalism actually becomes fatal for some children.
Another common refrain uttered by deniers of the dangers of sexual abuse is: "Well, kids are resilient. When bad things happen, they bounce back."
Absolutely not, says reality. Children do not bounce back. They adjust, they conceal, they repress, and sometimes they accept and move on, but they don't bounce back.
~*~
I've never made it a secret that I had a pretty god-awful childhood in some respects (and in other ways, I consider myself as having been quite fortunate). I have a wonderful psychologist who I knew previously in another capacity, who is now helping me through some of the worst stuff I've ever had to deal with. He recommended the above book to me. He specialises in paedophiles and their victims, and said that while he wouldn't necessarily recommend every survivor of sexual assault to read such books, he felt that knowing me as he does, this book would be of great help to me - especially regarding my constant questions of, "But why?". He was right.
The author, Anna Salter, is a psychologist who also specialises in paedophiles and their victims, and has written this amazing book that will let you get inside the minds of the scum of society. She includes excerpts of interviews with such predators, illustrating just what they really are - as opposed to what they would have us see and think they are.
Who would have thought that a 272-page book could have such a profound impact on me? I certainly didn't. Reading this book would have to be up there on the list of the "Best Ten Things I Ever Did During my Life". In the time it took me to read this book, I made progress I doubt I could have otherwise made, and certainly had never made in the decades following a year's worth of sexual abuse perpetrated against me by a neighbour, from the ages of four to five. Any guilt that I may have experienced lifted and vanished as the truth of these vile creatures was laid out in front of me - often in paedophiles' own words.
Now, I have known forever that it is NEVER the child's fault, and on a rational level I never believed myself to be responsible. But due to the things that this person did, and the things that he said, on an emotional level there's long been a question lingering in the back of my mind. However, after reading Salter's book, there are no such questions anymore. I liken this experience to a child believing that Santa Claus didn't visit because she was naughty - and then the realisation dawns that no, Santa Claus didn't visit because Santa was NEVER who and what she believed him to be to begin with. The stunned shock, the relief that her suspicions had been right all along - there never really was a magic man that got all the way around the world in one night - and then the anger at the deception. Why? Why would someone do that? And then the utter relief that there was NOTHING she could have said or done to make Santa visit or not, because Santa was a sham. Ditto for paedophiles. These parasites prey on those that have no protection and little (if any) defence. Their victims are chosen with patience and care. They groom children - and the families of these children - over time, to develop trust, test boundaries, and find out whether a selected child is a suitable target. As Salter points out in her book, people constantly make the mistake of confusing "nice" with "trustworthy". ANYONE can be "nice" for as long as necessary, in order to get what they want. "Well, he seemed nice enough" or "But she was so nice!" are the sorts of things many people say when they discover the crime and deception. Of COURSE they were nice. Do you think you'd let your child be alone with them if they WEREN'T?!
My mother (like the parents of many victims of childhood sexual assault) has blamed herself for what happened to me - she has told herself that she should have known; she shouldn't have let me visit to play with the offender's son, she should have done something, she should-- Forget it. Seriously. As I have said to my mother countless times: In no way do I, or have I ever, held her responsible. If she HAD known, it wouldn't have happened, would it? If he were going to do it in front of her, she could have stopped it. It's the offender's fault, not hers. If a person walks through the bush and doesn't see a snake and gets bitten, it's not that person's fault. Snakes do what snakes do. Does that mean you'll never walk through the bush? Likewise, predators do what they do, and it's not the child's fault, or the fault of the parents (if they didn't know and weren't told). Does that mean that you'll never let your child out of the house?
This reminds me of a story I read as a child.
A tiger and a snake happened to bump into each other at a river. They both needed to get to the other side.
"Oh Tiger," said the snake, "I can't get across the river. Would you be so kind as to let me ride on your back to the other side?"
"No way!" said the tiger. "You're a snake. How do I know you won't bite me?"
"Well," replied the snake, "If I bite you, both of us will drown. What good would that do me? Trust me. I won't bite you - I promise."
The tiger didn't like the idea, but thought that the snake's point was logical. He reluctantly let the snake slither onto his back, and they set across the river together. Just as they reached the other side, the snake lunged forward and bit the tiger. The tiger screamed in pain. "You promised you wouldn't bite me! Why did you do that?!" he cried.
The snake stared unfeelingly at his dying victim. "I'm a snake," said the snake - and he slithered away.
Moral of the story:
Some people simply aren't trustworthy. Paedophiles are paedohpiles. They abuse children. It's what they do. Is it worth the risk, no matter how logical it seems to think you can trust them?
Trust your gut. Your instinct is there for a reason.
Salter's book has given me a type of freedom I've never known before. The insights PREDATORS offer are priceless. My only word of caution is that there is a chapter on sadists. Approach with caution, especially if you are going to let a minor or someone who's fragile, read it. Other than that, this book will show you how sex offenders operate, what to look for, and the few things you can do to help keep your kids safe. Learn how to spot a snake. I shouldn't have to tell you that it's worth it.