MO--Head of National Guard program should be fired, SNAP says
For immediate release: Monday, Oct. 17, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, [email protected])
The head of the Missouri National Guard's Sexual Assault Prevention program should be fired for saying that assault reports by Donald Trump's alleged victims "bore" her.
The pain of sexual violence matters, whether it happened ten days or ten years ago. For a purported “victim’s advocate” to say she’d rather hear about recent assaults because older assaults “bore” her is dumb and hurtful.
(Buhr isn’t being misquoted here. These are her own words, posted on her own Facebook page.)
Buhr says she doesn’t want her public comments to lead others to think she’s “dismissive” of rape victims. Sorry. Too late. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. You can’t proclaim that older victims are “boring” while claiming to care about younger victims.
Buhr has reduced the chance she can be effective. If even one victim of assault in the Guard is weighing whether to report her rapist, is told Buhr is the person to call, finds out what Buhr says, and stays silent in frustration and continues to suffer in silence, that’s a tragedy. And, it’s likely to lead to more sexual violence. That’s a risk that Guard officials should not take.
An apology or a “clarification” isn’t enough. Nor should she be allowed to resign. A strong signal must be sent that the Guard does, indeed, take sexual assault seriously.
If kids are to be safer, adults must make it easier, not harder, for victims to report sexual violence. Buhr’s selfish callous comments are making it harder.
If victims are to be healed, adults must welcome their disclosures and respond to their suffering whenever victims are strong enough to step forward. Guard officials must show, by their actions, that they understand and accept this simple reality. They must oust Buhr.
It’s also worth noting what Buhr did NOT say. She could have praised victims who step forward. She didn’t. She could have thanked victims who disclose not just their pain, but their identities. She didn’t. She could have criticized those who disbelieve victims. She didn’t. She could have applauded journalists who investigate reports of sexual assault, especially against powerful individuals. She didn’t.
Buhr says there’s “no tolerance” of sexual assault in the Missouri National Guard. It’s critical that everyone in the Guard believes this. But fewer do and will because of Buhr’s actions and inactions. So it’s crucial that her superiors fire her.
No matter what Missouri National Guard officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered sexual violence in institutions to protect others by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
Messenger: Trump's sexual assault talk 'bores' Missouri Guard's victim advocate
By Tony Messenger, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
If you’re a member of the armed services and you have been sexually assaulted, there’s a good chance you never reported the crime committed against you.
That’s because most women in the military who are sexually assaulted don’t report the crime.
In 2014, the Department of Defense reports, 85 percent of sexual assault victims in the military didn’t report the attacks against them. Part of the concern is that the perpetrator of the crime is often in the chain of command.
That is a similar sentiment expressed by . . .
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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