MASA was founded the 25th of March 1992 because the founder learned that someone in her family was sexually abused by a perpetrator who was an upstanding member of the community. He was not prosecuted. Dr. Claire Reeves is the founder of Mothers Against Sexual Abuse, MASA. As a journalist she was going to write a book and she put advertisements in newspapers to find victims of incest and child sexual abuse. It was completely astounding the huge numbers of calls and letters that she received from east to west in Canada; and then again in California. She realized that this was a national and international epidemic and these victims had no one to tell their story.
About PTC
Protect the Children Board of Directors
Marian Wilson
Executive Vice President, Human Resources
Linda Marie Sacks
Board Member
Goals
Our goal is to unite all of the organizations in a common goal and that is to protect the children. Children must be believed when they tell a parent, teacher or other trusted adult that they are being abused. Children do not lie about this crime. They have no frame of reference about sexual acts. Why is it so difficult to believe the child, no matter what the age of the child? Maybe the reality of a little child being abused is just too difficult to comprehend? Think about what it must be for the little child enduring the abuse!
Protect the Children Interviews
Dr. Claire Reeves – Interview
Chad Augustine – Interview
Candice DeLong – Interview
Arthur Cooksey – Interview
History
I was only a lady who would listen and believe them. I did not know how to help them. These brave survivors asked me to tell their stories in the book I intended to write. As I wrote I realized this is an epidemic and someone must do something. It was definitely a Eureka moment when a voice in my head said, “You are someone”. Three days later I was in a attorney’s office to apply for my 501(c) 3. We received our letter in about three months. Did a survivor look at our name and say; “It is about time”? I do not know, but we were officially a not for profit organization.
As the saying goes, “The Rest is History”. Twenty four years and four months later we are still a viable organization. Many things have changed and not for the better. The family courts are even worse for the non-offending parent trying to protect his/her child. We have child trafficking which was unheard of when I founded MASA. Rapes in the military and on our university campuses have become commonplace and yet there is a giant cover-up of both. Victims are re-victimized if they dare to come forward. We cannot cure every single thing that ails this country, but we can do something about our innocent children today. We can stop this pestilence on society by joining forces and holding predators accountable.
Stiffer prison sentences need to be put in place for perpetrators. Legislation needs to be enacted to prevent the social service agencies from dismissing a case before it is properly investigated. My next question is why are we using social service agencies to investigate a criminal offense? Law enforcement need to be better educated in recognizing the signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse. Protecting our children, our future, is the most critical investment we could make in this great country.
Please join us in our campaign to “Protect The Children”.
Dr. Claire Reeves
President/Founder
