JUSTICE for victims of child sexual abuse is a vital part of their healing.
If the victim is to have a normal life, his or her pain has to be healed in the deep recesses of the child’s memory. Victims long for the truth about their abuse to be told. They truly want to be believed that they are telling the truth about their abuse.
Child victims greatly desire that their abusers be made to answer for the hurt they inflicted and perform penance for their evil deeds. This is to prevent them from sexually abusing even more minors, as they surely will if not stopped by the gavel of justice.
Judges are healers of trauma, physicians of emotional and physical wounds. Their medication is the truth. As Jesus of Nazareth has said, “The truth will set us free.”
Only when the truth is revealed will justice be done and be seen by all as such. The grave imbalance will be corrected and restored by a judge of integrity who follows the path of evidence to the final revelation of the truth.
It is the judge who can set things right. If this is done, heaven will rejoice, the victims heal and just judges be commended and blessed.
The responsibility of the judge is enormous in child abuse cases because the emotional well-being of the victim is at stake. Jesus has identified himself with the innocent child when he said, “Whoever welcomes in my name one such child as this welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:5) When we seek justice for the child, we seek it for Jesus himself. That is how he wants it.
As I have written before, the good judges pursuing justice with integrity have committed themselves to the ideals of their profession and are aware of the great need of the rule of law to hold together the trust and hope of the people in the judiciary.
The people, especially the children, must see and know that justice is there, that fairness and honesty will ensure that justice is done. If the judiciary is corrupted, then society would descend into anarchy. Just judges of integrity who uphold the rule of law hold the nation together.
Incorruptible judges never tolerate dirty deals or manipulation by defense lawyers offering bribes to corrupt them. Such lawyers must not be tolerated and should face charges.
Offering bribes for an acquittal of their clients, when these should be found guilty of rape or sexual assault, is not only a devastating crime against the child victims but also the justice system. This must be exposed and condemned. (To be continued)/PN
