Warning: the topic discussed today may upset or trigger sensitive readers.
InTouch Magazine ran a story about Josh Duggar. You can find the article, including the police report here.
Here's what is known:
When he was 14, he molested five girls. That's how many is known, anyways.
His sisters were among his victims.
Josh admits to this.
His parents consulted their church, and sent him to help a family friend do remodelling work. He never received counselling, therapy, nada.
When a police investigation happened, his parents refused to allow police access to him.
Statute of limitations at the time was three years. Police weren't alerted until FOUR years after, by the producers of the Oprah show, who received an email detailing the child molestation history.
Some claim Jim Bob went to the police after sitting on the knowledge he'd molested a girl for a year. What he actually did was get a family friend, who was also a State Trooper, to talk sternly to Josh. The Trooper, by the way, is now serving 56 years in jail for child pornography. Sounds legit. /sarcasm
Apparently, Josh apologized to his victims, and they forgave him. All is well.
Bullshit.
First of all, he preyed upon his young sisters. This was NOT a situation of young toddlers or preschoolers playing Dr. He molested siblings while they were sleeping.
Those that try to brush this off, focusing on his age at the time, calling it a teen mistake, and 'do you want to be judged by things you did as a teen?' make me sick to my stomach.
This wasn't getting caught drinking under age. This wasn't shop lifting. His behaviour was that of a predator. His first victim reported what happened. Jim Bob talked to him. Wasn't going to happen again.
Then it did.
It wasn't that Josh didn't know what he was doing was wrong. It was that he was allowed to get away with it.
His parents, instead of protecting their daughters, protected the molester.
Do you really for a moment think that the victims had ANY choice but to 'accept' his apology and 'forgive' him? Given that the Gothard sect puts blame on all things sexual on the females involved? That Gothard followers are taught men are to be revered, women are to serve?
Do you think any of Josh's victims had a hope in hell of having ANY safety at all?
Do you think any of his victims received any counselling, therapy, or support to deal with being violated by their brother/friend?
People are asking why this is coming out now.
My thoughts? Two of his sisters are now married, either have a baby, or expecting one. They are no longer under the Duggar Dominion. For the first time, they don't have to follow the edicts of their parents. They have husbands, who come before parents, in accordance with the Bible.
I strongly suspect that one of his victims, or someone who was close to the situation, be it one of his sisters or not, is finally in a position to speak out. Finally feels safe to do so. And, that Josh has young children, two of them girls, no doubt worked as a catalyst.
I've seen people ask why this wasn't sealed. There was nothing TO seal. He was never charged. There is no juvenile record to seal. Remember, that whole statute of limitations thing.
I've seen people cry that Josh is being persecuted. That he's repented, God forgives, and so should everyone else.
Really? Would you have him babysit your young daughters? Granddaughters? How about help out in a daycare or church nursery?
I mean, he deserves forgiveness, right?
No.
God forgives. Absolutely, have no doubt. But at the same time, you don't allow a child predator to have ready access to a victim pool. Forgiveness is great...but protecting the innocent is the obligation of everyone who has children in their lives. And it's something that his victim's parents failed in. Horribly. Deliberately. Willingly.
Here's my thing: Josh should have been PROSECUTED. He wasn't.
Josh is a predator. He preyed on children. Siblings.
And he got away with it.
The 'court of public opinion' is basically the only sort of consequence left. I'm hoping that more victims come forward and report him, and there will be a case where the statute of limitations hasn't run out. That there will be some justice served.
Because I have a hard time believing that a predator, who started so young, didn't continue.
Hopefully I'm wrong. I want to be wrong. God knows there's more than enough damage that Josh has wreaked with the victims we know about.
This post was originally published on Not A Stepford Life