Lawrence Gerard Nassar was the USA Gymnastics national team doctor and an osteopathic physician at Michigan State University, until he was finally investigated for molesting 250 young girls over the course of 26 years. From July of 2017 to last month, he was sentenced to 140 to 300 years in prison roughly. He will never see the light of day outside of a prison again.
The question that need to be asked here is how did this happen on such a large scale (How did it happen at all) and more importantly, how did it happen for such an extended period of time?
How the story broke.
As early as 1997 John Geddert, a U.S. Olympics Gymnastics coach became aware of a parental concern about Nassar and his behavior with young girls under his care. Geddert did not notify the authorities according to a 2017 lawsuit.
It is impossible to know if the abuse could have been stopped at this stage, but it is apparent that there was a certain amount of "All in" mentality at this point. A sense of "Well, I made a decision and now I am stuck with it," that led to years more of abuse than was necessary.
In 1998 a student athlete made reports against Nassar to her trainers and coaches, but Michigan State University failed to take any action. In the same year according to reports, Nassar began molesting his neighbors 6-year-old daughter, something that continued every other week for 5 years.
There is a lengthy timeline of similar complaints and allegations against Nassar over the years. In 2000 thewre were 2 complaints, in 2004 and 2014 as well. None of these complaints were followed up on.
Finally in August of 2016, the Indianapolis Star published a long expose about USA Gymnastics and how they handled sex abuse allegations. Later that month, former gymnast Rachael Denhollander filed a formal criminal complaint with Police, and the next day M.S.U. relieved him of his duties.
Nassar would finally get what he deserved, but why did it take so long?
CYA
The age old adage takes a lot of the blame for this case. (C)over (Y)our (A)ss or CYA is something that is endemic in American and unfortunately global culture. There is a feeling that once a person makes a mistake, then they can never admit that mistake or they will face more consequence than they had in the first place.
This causes more damage than anyone really cares to admit. Being unable to correct a mistake because fear of being known to have made that mistake will always seem to guide some peoples decisions, and unfortunately this will cause more pain to others that could have been avoided.
Job security.
Another aspect of this case would appear to be job security. Those people in authority to do something about this case seem to have been more concerned with the reputation of the organization than for the people who were being hurt. I can only assume that this thinking is based on fear of the job being effected from the allegation fall out.
I am sure there is some form of pride that is to blame here as well. A sense of "That couldn't really happen here" has to take hold at some point and rule some peoples decisions. This is where objectivity is of paramount importance. We have to be able to step back from a situation and look at it with objective eyes. If not people can be seriously hurt.
What can you do to protect your children?
Listen!
I cannot put too much importance on this! According to a Detroit News investigation, at least 14 Michigan State University representatives received reports of sexual misconduct by Nassar in the 20 years leading up to his arrest. What this means is that you absolutely cannot trust the establishment to internally take care of issues regarding your children, you have to be the end responsible party!
When your children tell you something, never just blow it off because they are children, and they are saying something about someone in authority. If the state of the world should tell us one thing for sure, it is that just because someone is in a position of authority, that does not make them a decent person.
Always listen to your children!
Don't be too caught up in competition.
Part of the problem with the Nassar case was the parents involved wanted the best for their little Olympic wanna be athletes. They allowed themselves to get so caught up in the fact that they were working with the top of the line gymnastics coaches and doctors, they did not think that what their own kids were telling them could possibly be correct.
Please please please do not let yourself get so caught up in living out some dream of fame and fortune for your kids that you sit back and let their lives be destroyed by those very people that are supposed to be helping them!
Do not be part of the problem!
One of the biggest things you can do to fix this problem is not be a part of it! If you work for a big institution and hear allegations of abuse from someone that you personally feel could never do something like that, do not just overlook it. This is what what of the main problems was in this case.
People just did not feel that Nassar could have ever done what people were saying he did, he was just too nice of a guy. The whole time he was brutally molesting young girls right under their parents nose.
Look for changes.
One of the best things you can do is be aware of your child's behavior and changes in it. Often when something is going on with a child, they will display drastic changes in how the interact with others. Becoming withdrawn and isolating is common, as is drug and alcohol use.
First you have you be willing to acknowledge that your child could be in trouble. We have to face the fact that there are sick people out there that prey on children and that they frequently put themselves in positions where they can have access to them.