[throwaway07Ju19]

About 36 years ago I was abused by two camp counselors in one summer. One of them fractured my sternum when he punched me after I mouthed off. I still have the bony ridge and slightly deformed pectoral. But the other did much worse leaving me with lifelong emotional issues.

If you asked pre-teen me how I would deal with a grown man determined to abuse me, I would have talked tough. But when that time came, I froze like a rabbit in the presence of a coiled python. Over the course of my life when other victims shared their story with me, I am always reminded how shockingly easy it is to abuse a child. For the record, one of them ended the abuse when she gathered the strength to simply whimper the word "no".

For all the confused commenters that wonder why we have this cameras-everywhere trend, it is because there are a multitude of adults like me with their secret abuse stories. There just doesn't seem to be competing ideas on how to prevent child abuse.

At the very least if you are a dad, tell your child this, "if an adult harms you, I know it will be difficult but you must tell me. I'll probably get angry at first but I promise I'll calm down and I won't do anything rash, etc.". I just assumed my dad would lose his temper and either wind up in the hospital, jail, or both. But then again given the stigma of being an abused boy I probably still wouldn't talk which appears to be the norm and why it is so widespread.

[WA]

Sorry to hear that, but gotta ask: Do you think a camera would’ve prevented the abuse? Or maybe would it have happened somewhere out of view of a camera?

[golergka]

Nobody can be certain that it would completely prevent something like that, and world doesn't deal with absolute. However, it would make it harder to perpetrate, make potential abuser more fearful, and, on average, would make it much less probable, this I'm sure of.

[WA]

With the cost of many many people feeling observed, many parents being nudged into thinking it’s okay to observe their kids 24/7 etc.

The old discussion about security vs freedom again. And I don’t think there are easy answers to that.

[golergka]

I disagree that parents are passive objects here - it's them who are subjects. They are the camp's customers, and they make decision to choose one camp over another depending on which one has this security and which one doesn't, and they are able to communicate their opinion to the camp's administration.

It's all in the parent's hands, as it should be.

[crazydoggers]

Thank you so much for sharing this. As hard as it is, we all need more brave voices like this, and we as a society should be embracing those who come forward.