Many people are aware of the current controversy related to Investigation Discovery’s documentary entitled, Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. In the documentary, revelations are brought to light about the alleged sexual abuse and misconduct behind the scenes of the era's biggest children’s shows on Nickelodeon during the late 90s and early 2000s. These allegations have rocked the millennials who grew up watching these shows and have once again brought attention to how often children do not report incidences of child sexual abuse and how often witnesses to the abuse remain silent.

So this brings up the important question: Do those who witnessed inappropriate sexual behavior toward children, as well as those who were also abused, have an obligation to report the child sexual abuse? The answer to this question is a resounding YES, for the following reasons:

Even though there are so many good reasons why it is important to speak up if you've witnessed inappropriate sexual behavior toward a child (or children) it can still be very difficult for some to do for the following reasons:

While the politically (and often legally) correct thing to do is to speak up and support a former victim of child sexual abuse, you may not be able to bring yourself to do so at this point, even though you know it is the right thing to do. You are the only one who knows the reasons why you aren’t willing to speak up. If you haven’t heard of self-compassion, please read about it and begin practicing it. One key element of practicing self-compassion is to tell yourself, “It’s understandable,” as in, “It’s understandable that I would be afraid to come forward because of my own trauma.”

That said, if your own past trauma is getting in the way of you being as courageous and strong as you’d like to be, I urge you to consider going to a trauma therapist for help. I also encourage you to read such books as my latest, Freedom at Last: Healing the Shame of Childhood Sexual Abuse and The Courage to Heal.

To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.

References

Engel, Beverly (2022). Freedom at Last: Healing the Shame of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Guilford, CONN. Prometheis Books.

Neff, Kristin (2015). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. New York, N.Y. William Morrow.