Timmy - week 2

Its been 2 weeks.  It seems like yesterday.

We have seen Timmy on various occasions.  Not every day anymore.  He was shy and awkward at first.  Now he runs, with arms wide open. 

The shock of the story for me is the Timmy is sleeping at home again.  Sleeping in the same, 2 bedroom apartment as the perpetrator.  I can't explain it anymore than I can do anything about it.  There are no safe houses.  No safe places.  No places for Timmy except an institution.  The sad reality is there are at least another dozen emergency cases where children need to be removed, another 2-3 dozen that the best case scenario is for the child to be removed although its not an emergency like Timmy.

It is a battle that is difficult to fight much less even think about winning.  A social welfare department that is extremly over worked and under paid.  The average case load is meant to be 60, these guys have a 100+.  There are suppossed to be about 10 for Ocean View, there are 5.  Not to mention there is no juvenile justice system here at all.  What cases there are that go to court get dismissed because they only involve minors.  So the cycle just continues.  Its almost hopeless.  If you take God out of the equation it is absoluety impossible for me to imagine a sceanario where this gets better for anyone. 

And because we serve a God of the impossible, I will continue, one child at a time, to make a difference.  Helping, protecting, and fighting for the innocent. 

Please pray.  For South Africa, for Ocean View, for Timmy and the countless other victims of child sodomy. 

As for Timmy.  Much of what happened has taken place during the 3 week school holiday here.  Many people were on leave including people that I work with.  I briefed one of the leaders of the organization that I work with yesterday and he said because this happened on our property that we must file protocol and report this to the proper authorities.  Its very normal for families in this situation to simply move on and never report this as a crime. 

So yesterday I began making phone calls.  The person I was trying to reach was also on leave.  Another officer told me a detective would call me back.  He didn't.  Today I tried to reach the same officer only to a Colonel tell me there was nothing they could do and I just need to go to the police station with the parent. 

Now I drive to the police station.  Inside there is a group that runs the Trauma room.  The trauma room is basically a counseling room inside the police station.  They deal directly with the "special victims unit" (and no its nothing like on the tv show).  While I was giving her the information she called in a detective for a second opinion.  He agreed that something needed to be done, but the didn't handle these cases only the SVU.  She called to speak with someone.  She handed me the phone to give him details.  He asked if I could bring Timmy and his mom to their office and I said no.  She lives with the perpetrator's family, shes not going to file a charge.  So tomorrow morning we are supposed to meet at Timmy's school.  He wants to hear from Timmy directly I guess.   I am holding thumbs that he will even show up.  No one wants to deal with this. 

I saw it.  I have to do something.  We came to serve the least, the last, and the lost.  Timmy is all 3 of those.  Please pray.  I am at a loss for what the long term solution is.....I am actually at a loss for what the short term solution.  Please also pray for our safety as we move forward with this.  No one likes the whistle blower. 

Shelby