Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 760

Tonight's special guest is Valerie Gibson, a child abuse awareness advocate and producer of the film "Pursuit of Truth." She's joined by Neil Jaffee, the film's co-producer and legal council. Valerie conceived of the Pursuit of Truth film project as a result of her fight to support her adult son’s quest for justice against the individual who abused him as a child. The family’s odyssey through the legal system was marked by countless impediments-incompetence, indifference, and procedural devices that are heavily weighted against adult survivors and in favor of their perpetrators. This experience led to the realization that as presently constituted, the process re-traumatizes survivors by invading their rights to privacy and subjecting them to inherently unfair practices. Ms. Gibson thought that a film documentary was the most effective method to initiate the process of exposure and education. By presenting the survivors' stories interwoven with the experts' commentary, the film uncovers the pitfalls for survivors in entering the legal system and the inherent problems facing them in confronting their abusers in the courts. The film also raises serious questions about police procedures, prosecutorial charging decisions, defense tactics, and judicial responses to survivors' claims. The film's mission is to provide a framework to answer those questions and thereby improve the quantity and quality of justice for survivors who have the strength and determination to hold their abusers accountable before the law. Valerie has become a tireless advocate for the cause of survivors seeking justice against their abusers.