The Shipwreck of Institutional Betrayal: Why Individuals Self-Harm & Harm-Others
A Call to Action: Responsibility & Accountability
Our children have so much life left ahead of them, and we take this for granted. Mya could have finished high school on the honor roll and gone off to college to achieve her dreams. The children of Parkland could have been saved, and Nik Cruz could have been healed with proper treatment. If school officials had confronted the students verbally harassing Mya from the onset, the series of unfortunate events wouldn’t have unfolded. These devastating events could have been entirely prevented if administrators handled the issue responsibly when they were first reported. Pure indifference and ignorance created unbearable environments for both teens at school, where they could no longer tolerate the intensifying pattern of abuse. Of lesser importance but clearly, both schools suffered losses to their institution and their community as a whole.
So, if everyone just acted responsibly, wouldn’t all victims, offenders, and organizations be better off? The answer is undoubtedly yes. We must hold offenders accountable from the onset, offering them a path to treatment toward a constructive solution. This will empower them to take ownership of their misconduct and restore trust in themselves, victims, communities, and the justice system.
To find out how you can be part of the solution, visit: www.iciara.com
Works Cited
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/boys-country-are-hurting-we-can-help-ncna851901
https://nypost.com/2019/09/09/why-the-system-failed-to-stop-nikolas-cruz-and-could-do-it-again/
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article200754714.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/timeline-parkland-shooter-nikolas-cruz/
http://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2019/01/silencing-the-victim/
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