Date: 2011-12-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. just a few minutes ago I heard one of my colleagues on another matter dealing with children raise the question: Who lobbies for our children? Frankly. I dont want to live in a country that doesnt hold our children as the precious resources that they are. to be coddled and nurtured. given the opportunities of life irrespective of their ethnic background. religious background. economic background. where they live in this country. I think the greatest testimony of a countrys moral values is how they protect and respect their children. Just an hour or two ago. Mr. Sandusky. in a Pennsylvania courtroom. decided not to listen to numbers of his accusers in this sordid scandal of child sexual abuse. That is his legal privilege. And as someone who adheres to the Constitution of due process and a right to a trial by ones peers. Im not here to quarrel with a legal system that allows an accusedin this instance. a proposed defendantto defend themselves. But I am here to challenge the crisis of sexual abuse of children in America and the sordid salaciousness of the coverup that adults have participated in. Shame on us. Shame on us. As the chair and founder of the Congressional Childrens Caucus. I raise my iron and I ask the media around this country to come from underneath the rocks and begin to attack the coverup and quietness of professional or amateur sports. of college sports. of high school and primary and secondary sports. of nonprofits who deal with children who have an inkling or a knowledge of the sordidness and the dastardly actions of sexually abusing children and not saying one word. And so this week Im going to ask my colleagues to join me in introducing legislation that will cease and desist Federal funding going to colleges and universities and nonprofits who are found to have covered up charges of child sexual abuse. When is it going to stop? The heinousness of the alleged acts of Mr. Fine in Syracuse by the State laws suggest that the statute of limitations cannot reach him. The Federal law must speak. The voice of America must speak. And the irony of it is I listened to a commentator this morning say. How long will the coach be able to stay in Syracuse in the prominence of their season this year? As long as he wants. And no one has gotten to the bottom of what happened to those boys at Syracuse University. Added to that is an ESPN tape that they sat on for how many years and no recrimination. no accusations against an entity that enjoys the trust and confidence and enjoyment of the American sports fans to have held a tape and denied that tape to at least be vetted to determine the harshness of what happened to a child. Child sexual abuse cases. 90.000 of them are reported. but the numbers of unreported abuse are far greater. because it is documented that children wait at least 2 years before theyre willing to tell even family members. Why? Because we. as adults. have made it so harsh. so accusatory for the child. The child is in fact the defendant. the wronged person. And God forbid. dont accuse a famous adult. for then you are completely maligned. thrown on the trash heap of life. The boys that Mr. Sandusky was accused of acting against happened to be vulnerable children. vulnerable families. atrisk children. parents. single mothers. who were looking for a male role model. Isnt that allowed in America? Arent we familiar with raising that impoverished child up and giving the opportunity to be raised up by their bootstraps. getting some wonderful male role model. in the instance of girls. a woman role model? Isnt that the American way. that everybody has a door open to the greatest country in the world? But that trust was violated. and those children now. basically grownups. did not survive and will not survive the mental conditions that they will be subjected to. Mr. Speaker. as I close. let me say that children have died because of child sexual abuse. Join me in supporting this legislation to be able to say zero tolerance for the cover up of sexual abuse of children. Its a pox on our house. Where are the childrens lobbyists? We must be that lobbyist.