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SALT LAKE CITY — Victims' advocates say the $60 million fine imposed on Penn State by the NCAA Monday will greatly benefit sex abuse victims across the country.
The fine is part of a group of sanctions handed down to the University as punishment for its leaders' involvement in covering up former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's sex crimes against children. Child victim advocates say it should send a message to victims everywhere: crimes against children will not be tolerated.
"When kids come forward, it takes a lot of courage," said Susanne Mitchell, of the Children's Justice Center of Salt Lake County.
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NCAA slams Penn State, fines it $60 million
A potential exodus of star athletes. No hope of playing in the postseason. More than a decade of accomplishments erased from the record books. And Joe Paterno's legacy in shreds.Mitchell has been working with child sex abuse victims for nearly 30 years. She can sympathize with the victims who decided to come forward in the Sandusky sex abuse case.
"That is a very empowering experience when they have that point where they want to talk, and (realize) somebody really cares about them and wants them to hear it," Mitchell said. "That is part of where healing begins."
Places like the Children's Justice Center serve as a first line of defense for victims to report abuse and receive counseling and medical attention if needed. At the center, 80 percent of cases involve sex abuse.
Mitchell says the NCAA sanctions imposed against Penn State Monday are encouraging, but only if the actions mean greater advocacy for child sex abuse victims.
"It's not enough if it doesn't turn into saying, ‘We want to be known as advocates for children and making sure that this never happens again,'" she said.
"It's not enough if it doesn't turn into saying, 'We want to be known as advocates for children and making sure that this never happens again.'" Suzanne Mitchell, Children's Justice Center
One of the sanctions against Penn State is a $60 million fine to benefit sex abuse victims. So far, NCAA officials haven't outlined how they'll distribute the millions of dollars to programs that serve sex abuse victims. But Mitchell said if even $1 million from that fund found its way to Utah, it could serve roughly 20,000 Utahns a year who are affected by child sex abuse — that's nearly half of the fans at a football game in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
"Children are a vulnerable population, and it is our community responsibility to protect them," Mitchell said, ‘and for (the) NCAA to take a stand and say ‘we won't tolerate that' really sets the bar for everybody to follow suit."
While the NCAA's actions send a strong message for victim advocates, Mitchell said it's up to the community to report child sex abuse immediately — failure to report those crimes is a misdemeanor.
