Held Captive for Ten Years
My heart broke a little when I heard of this recent finding. Three women Berry and two other women, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knighvani vanished around the age of 14-20years old. Recently found in Ohio by a neighbor hearing Berry call for help and helped her kick down the door. Three brothers have been arrested for this abuse crime. Thank God!
Apparently authorities visited the home in 2004 but failed in any attempt to find the problem that was reported. One neighbor sighted a woman in the backyard naked, crawling around on the ground but that failed to make a police investigation plausible. Something is wrong with our system if we can't even file a valid report that would be investigated seriously enough. Shame on the police. The dispatchers years ago must feel awful enough I'm sure for not paying more attention to the numerous calls over the years. This topic might be extremely sensitive for some, but informative to others.
I have experienced quite a number of women over the years who have experienced abuse or sexual abuse. Working with some and friendships with others. Sometimes all it takes is noticing suspicious behavior and getting nosy till you know the other person is alright. A lot of time women in abuse circumstances have zero sense of self esteem or courage to fight the abuser after a certain point because they have depleted their sense of self worth and taken what's most valuable. Women's sense of value, which is incredibly precious. Granted there are not many horrible people out there like these men but in the same sense, there are still too many.
I can only be happy for the women who have come miles from the abuse they have experienced and value those friendships. Women are spectacular and amazing! The human spirit is amazing, even after it has been broken.
My thoughts for suspicious behavior whether it be children, animals or women (even men in some cases).
Recognizing, Reporting & Preventing
Physical & verbal abuse can include:
- kicking, spitting, hitting, slapping, etc.
- threatening to hit, kick or aggressively hurt someone
- not being careful when handling the vulnerable person
- restraining the vulnerable person inappropriately
- Rape or any sexual touching or activity that the vulnerable person does not consent to or might not understand
- when some sort of act takes place and that person isn't able to give their informed consent
- when a sexual relationship develops with someone in a position of trust or authority, such as a carer, health worker or day care worker
- bullying, harassment or intimidation
- insults, humiliation
- being trapped somewhere, like being locked in a room (deprivation of liberty)
- verbal abuse such as swearing and making threats, threatening body language
- not giving the person the right to make up their own mind and make their own decisions
- unexplained bruising or injuries, especially around areas that are well protected such as the inside of the upper arms or upper legs
- burn marks, which may have been caused by cigarettes and carpet burns
- health professionals can't easily see the vulnerable person as a relative or carer is stopping them
- Unexplained sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or genital infections
- Unexplained bleeding
- Torn or stained clothing
- The vulnerable adult is withdrawn
- under or overeating at strange times
- being anxious, or being confused
- showing a loss of self-confidence
- spending a lot of time by themselves
Report to 911 and local neighbors, be watchful & don't dismiss instincts. Sometimes it takes more than once to call the authorities and also careful investigating to know exactly what's going on in the situation.
Again, I'm I know this isn't a topic people like to get even close to discussing but how can we ignore the brutal realities of our society any longer? Human worth topics can't be tucked under the table, have us become immune to the news & media desensitizing our ability to feel for all of these crimes that are occurring. Sometimes it takes even noticing that something is off, stepping outside of ourselves and caring for what we see around us. It's how human nature should be.
