Hi GingerM,
The difference, as I see it, between your "pet peeve" example and my situation, is that in the, "why won't she leave him", scenario, people want her to SAVE herself. It's kinda like seeing a person standing on the train tracks, staring at an incoming train and saying,"Help! that train is going to hit me!". "Why is that train going to hit me?"
Most logical thing to advice such a person is to LEAVE the track. MOVE and save yourself. The "train" (or abusive partner), is just...a TRAIN. It will do what trains do. It is up to us, Then, to remove our selves from harms way. (at some point!).
In my case, I felt like I was being shoved ONTO the the track, after having gone through great effort to remove myself from harms way.
"Your first priority should always be to take care of yourself. And you, and only you, know what that means."
I completely agree with this statement! Thank you for saying that!
I am still not in the best state emotionally speaking, but I truly believe I would have had a break down, had I forced myself through that trial, back then. My uncle is dead now. for many years, I believed I was his only victim. I was "special" . He told me so himself. Only after I was able to speak out against him, did it really hit me, how many other people already knew. That was devastating!
Also, I later learned, that there WAS one thirteen year old foster child, who ran away from his home and reported that he was molesting her.
She was however, a "troubled youth". She had a history of running away, lying, all manner of delinquent behavior. I am told her complaint was internally investigated and dismissed.
You also said:
"However, nowhere have I seen a law that requires a person to report a crime. They are only required to not interfere with an investigation."
Yes. That is probably because the law recognizes our right to self preservation. Most people want to believe, that everyone else, should/would, be capable of doing, "The Right Thing", without suffering horrible, life destroying harm. That is simply not true.
Thanks for your post.