Forgotten Victims of Sex Abusers

Book excerpt: This book honors the courageous sex victims who exposed their abusers. The spotlight, and rightly so, has been on them and their predators. William Kraft contends, however, that little attention and help has been given to those who unknowingly knew a sex offender, people such as spouses, family friends, and parishioners--the unintended victims. Kraft gives these forgotten and silent victims a voice. He recognizes, listens, and responds to people who trusted, often admired, and perhaps loved a sex offender--the shocked woman whose husband is found guilty of sexual assault, the stunned parents and disillusioned parishioners of a pedophile priest, the lost man of an unfaithful wife, and the depressed parent of a promiscuous child. Kraft wants us to cease forgetting these victims and offer them help. His proposal is that sex abusers cause severe and lasting harm because their defilement is not only physical but also emotional, social, and most importantly spiritual because abusers violate bonds such as trust, fidelity, and love. Thus, Kraft offers concrete psychological and spiritual ways to achieve effective management and healing.